
G 




b V 



<P 



Or 






<K 



«>*' 



>e> 



* •=£ 



\? 



Sir- V :■ 










- ^d* 










A 






<C> * o I. o ° 



vT>S 










,v 



*°^ 






! 








i 



o>- «, , '^ l § i ^«* f. a"*' ^^l^b" v? 1 ''C' 






y 



u>g/€). dfchn'*^ 



A CENTENNIAL 
it 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY 



OF 



//srt 

73*7 








OHIO 



ILLUSTRATED 



'A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never 

achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by 

remote generations." — Macaulay 



CHICAGO 

The Lewis Publishing Company 
1902 






WW« 



1 



PREFACE. 



THE REV. NEWELL DWIGHT HILLIS, the rising star in the bril- 
liant firmament of the Presbyterian ministry and now the occupant of 
the pulpit of Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, made famous by the great Henry 
Ward Beecher, said: "By universal consent biography is the most fasci- 
nating of literature. Its charm doubtless grows out of the fact that it is the 
siory of life. At best only a secondary interest can attach to those dead 
things named stones and stars. But biography has at least three advantages: 
it concerns life, it concerns human life, and it concerns man in his best form, 
in the person of earth's best and bravest spirits. For these reasons the 
books that have ushered in new epochs for society have generally been biog- 
raphies. Indeed, the very heart of a nation's literature is the history of its 
heroes." 

Crawford County, Ohio, has sustained within its confines men who 
have been prominent in public affairs and great industrial enterprises 
for half a century. The annals teem with the records of strong and noble 
manhood, and, as Sumner has said, "the true grandeur of nations is 
in those qualities which constitute the greatness of the individual." The 
final causes which shape the fortunes of individuals and the destinies 
of States are often the same. They are usually remote and obscure, 
and their influence scarcely perceived until manifestly declared by 
results. That nation is the greatest which produces the greatest and most 
manly men and faithful women; and the intrinsic safety of a community 
depends not so much upon methods as upon that normal development from 
the deep resources of which proceeds all that is precious and perma- 
nent in life. But such a result may not consciously be contemplated by 
the actors in the great social drama. Pursuing each his personal good by 
exalted means, they work out as a logical result. 



PREFACE 

The elements of success in life consist in both innate capacity and deter- 
mination to excel. Where either is wanting, failure is almost certain in the 
outcome. The study of a successful life, therefore, serves both as a source 
of information and as a stimulus and encouragement to those who have the 
capacity. As an important lesson in this connection we may appropriately 
quote Longfellow, who said : " We judge ourselves by what we feel capa- 
ble of doing, while we judge others by what they have already done." A 
faithful personal history is an illustration of the truth of this observation. 

In this biographical history the editorial staff, as well as the publishers, 
have fully realized the magnitude of the task. In the collection of the ma- 
terial there has been a constant aim to discriminate carefully in regard to the 
selection of subjects. Those who have been prominent factors in the public, 
social and industrial development of the county have been given due recog- 
nition as far as it has been possible to secure the requisite data. Names 
worthy of perpetuation here, it is true, have in several instances been omitted, 
either on account of the apathy of those concerned or the inability of the 
compilers to secure the information necessary for a symmetrical sketch; but 
even more pains have been taken to secure accuracy than were promised in 
the prospectus. Works of this nature, therefore, are more reliable and com- 
plete than are the " standard" histories of a country. 

THE PUBLISHERS. 



INDEX. 



Adams, Franklin, 230 

Agnew, J., 864 

Alexander, William L., 194 

Allen, Benjamin F., 720 

Altstaetter, Henry, 358 

Arbuckle, William, 292 

Ashcroft, Adam, 824 

Auck, Michael, 184 

Babst, Dan, Jr., 253 

Babst, Daniel, 398 

Babst, Jacob, (54 

Banks, Obadiah, 819 

Barney, J. G., 244 

Battefeld, Lewis H., (S'.l 

Baumgartner, John, <>(>0 

Beal, John, 463 

Beall, James P., 152 

Beard, Joseph H., 24(> 

Beck, Daniel, 822 

Bender, Anthony, 775 

Bender, Jacob, 8(50 

Bender, John, 63(5 

Bender, Philip, (513 

Bender, William. 698 

Bennett, Smith W., 853 

Berg, Henry, 526 

Birk, Christian F., 118 

Birk, Emanuel R.. 12 

Black, Robert R., 327 

Blair, George O.. 4 71) 

Bland, Jerome, (542 

Blicke, William A., 91 

Bliss, Julius J.. 54 

Brause, George A-, 490 

Breisinger, Charles, 163 

Bridgeman, William H., 764 

Brine, James, 817 

Brinkman, Daniel, 3i I 

Broede, Jacob, 811 

Broemel, August, 37 

Brose, Daniel, 672 

Brown, Catherine B.. 70*3 

Brown, Charles A., 443 

Brown, Jacob, 669 

Brown, Jacob, 792 

Brown, John, Sr. , 728 

Brown, John, Jr., 728 

Brown, Joseph D., 494 

Brown, Sebastian, 481 

Brown, William, 791 

Brown, William S., 862 

Brown, Willis A., 48(5 

Bucyrus Methodist Episcopal Church, 437 

Burgbacher, John, 807 



Burger, John, 70.1 
Burt, G. W., 405 
Cahill, John C, 838 
Caldwell, Smith C., 237 
Campbell, John B., 4'.>:; 
Carle, Frederick, ] I ', 
Carmean, Jonathan, 338 
Carmean, Mathew L., 208 
Carrick, Aaron, (596 
Carrothers, James B., 76'3 
Carson, Tarlington B., 12 I 
Cary, Lewis, 17 
Chance, Aaron, 784 
Chaney, Sylvanus C, 140 
Charlton, Amos B., 856 
Chesney, John A., 11 J 
Cleland, Arthur, 772 
Close, George, 459 
Close, Harvey, 511 
Close, Nelson, 459 
Clutter, Thomas H. B., 76 
Cory, Hugh M., 548 
Coulter, James W., 383 
Cover, Richard, 682 
Cover, W. D., 757 
Crawford, William, 12 
Crissinger, Elias, 829 
Critzer, William H., 412 
Crowley, Robert E., 564 
Crum, David, 578 
'/rum, Jacob, 806 
Cupp, John W., 282 
Dalzell, Emma J., 183 
Davis, E. P., 239 
Dawson, William, 738 
De-nzer, Jacob, 129 
Denzer, Lewis I., 130 
Dewalt, Samuel, 814 
Dick, Frank, 101 
Dick, Franklin P., 521 
Dickson, James M., 469 
Didie, George W., 201 
Dillinger, John, (184 
Donnenwirth, George, 164 
Duncan, Arthur M., 188 
Dunlap, James, 675 
Durnwald, Peter, 668 
Durr, John Jacob, 866 
Durr, Ludwig, 473 
Dwire, Emory I Jay, 7K : 
Eberhart, George J., 341 
Edler, Charles. (541 
Eckert, John R., 708 
Eckert, William A., 123 



6 



INDEX. 



Eckstein, Adam, 665 
Eckstein, John, 771 
Eichhorn, Samuel, 848 
Eise, Christian F,, 402 
Endslow, Thomas B., 740 
English, John, 298 
Ensminger, Albert M., 172 
Esterline, Samuel, 491 
Fauser, Jacob, 788 
Feick, Adam, 793 
Fetter, Nicholas, 385 
Finley, Ebenezer B., 27a 
Firstenberger, Jacob D., 403 
-Fisher, Cyrus W., 29 
i -.her, John, 845 
Flickinger, Edward, 375 
Forrest, Wallace B., 144 
Forum Printing Company, 372 
Foster, F. M., 225 
Fralick, Edward, 582 
Frank, C. P., 408 
Frankenfield, Andrew, 820 
Franz, W. C, 335 
Freese, E. M., 417 
Freese, Samuel S., 823 
French, John W., 652 
Frost, Abraham, ISO 
Gearhart, J. J., 693 
Gebhardt, John, 191 
Gee, Samuel, 471 
Geiger, William M., 585 
Geissmann, S. William, 4(51 
George, Tilghman, 110 
Gledhill, Joseph, 440 
Gledhill, William, 554 
Gordon, John, 605 
Gormly, James B., 1*!1 
Green, Daniel, 697 
Green, Henry B., 756 
Gregg, Robert, 694 
Grubb, Wesley, 617 
Guinther, Isaac C, 386 
Guiss, John, SOI 
Gunder, James M., Z\'-\ 
Gundrum, Silas, 840 
Haas, Abraham, 812 
Hadley, Nathaniel J., 80 
Hall, Alexander, 367 
Hall, Joseph E., 52 1 
Hall, Lawrence W\, 22 
Hammond, Albert, 556 
Harkenrider, John. 843 
Harley, Solomon, 795 
Harris, Stephen R., 302 
Harrop, James E., 488 
Hartman, Herman H., 3oo 
Harvey, Andrew J., Ill 
Hassel, Conrad, 133 
Haworth, Albert, 240 
Hays, William, 313 
Hazlett, Andrew J., 218 
Heinle, George W., 289 
Heinlen, Franklin D. , 3 L2 



Helfrich, Peter. 103 
Heller, CassiusC, 753 
Herbold, John G., 198 
Herman, Anthony, 500 
Hilborn, Charles M., 825 
Hilborn, John, 703 
Hilborn, Samuel, Y-'^ 
Hise, William H., 100 
Hoffmann, John, 610 
Holbrook, Franklin, 372 
Holland, James O., 2S0 
Hollinshead, Jesse, S30 
Holmes, Joseph W., 392 
Homer, James R., 84 
Hood, George W., lis 
Hopley, John, 156 
Hoppel, Jeremiah J., 649 
Hosford, Asa, 24 
Hosier, David E., 260 
Hosier, Isaac, 742 
Hoss, P. Fred, 852 
Hull, J. C. Ffemont. 35 
Humphrey, John W., 631 
Jenner, George L., 725 
Johnston, Henry D. E .,676 
Johnston, Robert T., 623 
Johnston, Robert W., 651 
Jones, Alonzo M., 23 
Kalb, David, 865 
Kanzleiter, Daniel, 21 1 
Kearsley, Edmund R,, 348 
Keil, John, 433 
Keller, Amos F., Wl 
Keller, George, 23 
Keller, John, 555 
Keller, Oliver J., 316 
Keller, Philip, 319 
Kelly, Webb J., 754 
Kennedy, Thomas S., 168 
Kerr, George T., 314 
Kerr, James, 147 
Kerr, Robert W., 113 
Kessler, Gabriel, 322 
Kibler, John W., 311 
Kibler, Matthias, 2S4 
Kibler, Samuel J., 284 
Kiess, William C., 38 
Kilbourne, James, 15 
Kimerline, Charles E, 408 
Kimerline, Jonathan F., 368 
Kinninger, Charles, 44 
Koons, Samuel B. , 751 1 
Kunnert, John P., 312 
Kuntz, John W., 206 
Laibbly, Abraham, 855 
Lake, Charles, 93 
Lambert, E., 821 
Lantz, P. F., 433 
Lash, Benjamin F., 630 
Lash, Francis M.. 734 
Lash, Peter B., 780 
Laubach, Charles A., 5: 11 
Lederer, Adam G., 2/ . 



INDEX. 



Leimenstoll, Henry, 346 
Lemert, Wilson C, 566 
Leonhart, Adam. 626 
Leonhart, John, 446_ 
Lichty, Adam J., 435 
Liebich, Frank E., 182 
Linn, Henry R., 557 
Linn, William, 396 
Locke, Daniel W., 94 
Lucas, Arista O., 212 
Ludwig, Samuel, 479 
Lust, David, 510 
Lust, Frederick, 445 
Lust, Israel, 507 
Lust, Jacob, 297 
Lust, Nathan, 354 
Lutz, David A., 671 
Lutz, David E., 467 
Lutz, Emanuel L., 667 
Lutz, Michael, 464 
Lyons, Elijah, 689 
Mahon, Charles, 745 
Malcolm, James H., 532 
Malcolm, Gilbert F., 562 

Margraff, Charles F.. 539 

Markley, Horatio W., 686 

Marquart, August, 519 

Marquart, Jefferson, 559 

Marquart, Michael, 663 

Martin, Louis C, 657 

Mather, George, 290 

Matthias, H. S. Z., 104 

May, FrederickW., 456 

May, Louis, 456 

McCallum, D. D., 259 

McCarrell, James S., 24 

McConnell, William F., 

McCracken, Charles W., 

McGaughy, Frank C, 401 

McKean, Alexander, 628 

McKinstry, James, 248 

McMahon, James F., 378 

McManis, William, 765 

McMichael, Daniel, 16 

McNutt, Ezekiel C. 691 

Messner, Albert F., 62 

Methodist Episcopal Church of Bucyrus, 437 

Michelfelder, John, 362 

Miller, Burton R., 422 

Miller, Eli. 607 

Miller, George W., 59 

Miller, Henry D., 571 

Miller, Jacob, 537 

Miller, John R., 253 

Miller, Louisa, 131 

Miller, William H., 592 

Miller, William H., 638 
Millimiter, Jacob C. 155 
Molle'nkop, Joseph, 621 
Monnett, Abraham, 572 
Monnett, Family, The, 831 
Monnett, Orwin B., 608 
Monnett, Thomas J., 584 



U5 



Monnett, Wallace L., 271 

Moore, Andrew, 815 

Moore, John, 580 

Morgan, Reuben O., 300 

Morrow, Charles, 733 

Morrow, James, Sr. , 475 

Morrow, John, 462 

Morrow, William, 731 

Mueller, C. H., 199 

Mulford, Allen B., 726 

Mulford, John H., 637 

Munch, Jacob, 858 

Muth, August, 670 

Myers, John G., 112 

Myers, Samuel, 365 

Neff, Aaron, 633 

Neff, David E., 89 

Neff, E. M., 622 

Neff, Emanuel, 635 

Neff, Joseph, 63 

Ness, Charles, 863 

Newman, Fred, 318 
Nicholls, William S., 520 
Norton, Fernando J., 331 
Norton, Samuel, 13 
Nye, Albert S., 655 
Nye, William S., 841 
Oberlander, Henry J . , 810 
Oberlander, Henry N., 600 
Ohl, Owen, 818 
Outhwaite, John, 498 
Patterson, Thomas N., 847 
Peppard, David M., 411 
Perrine, James H., 204 
Petri, Jacob H., 395 
Pfahler, Caleb, 799 
Pfleiderer, Daniel, 178 
Pfleiderer, Isaac, 749 
Pfleiderer, Jacob J., 598 
Pfleiderer, John, 604 
Plants, Josiah S., 22 
Pope, Theodore F. , 451 • 
Price, Madison, 522 
Pry, Frederick, 709 
Pry, Jacob, 799 
Pry, John, 709 
Pry, Lewis, 801 
Pugh, Moses, 428 
Quaintance, Aaron J. li'- 
Quaintance, Joseph W., 35(5 
Rader, Aaron, 482 
Rader, James P. , 485 
Ranck, Jacob, 51 ! 
Raub, Henry A.. 210 
Reehl, William W., 174 
Regula, Thomas, is; 
Reichhard, Adam 627 
Reisinger, Louis K., 2! 
Rexroth, John, 118 
Richards, Joseph M. 
Riedie, Jacob, 789 
Rininger, Eli, 778 
Robinson, David C, 776 



85 1 



INDEX. 



Robinson, James H.. ■">; \ 

-'Robison, Elmer D., 040 
Rose, John, 13 
Ross, Peter, 634 
Ross, Royal R., 560 
Rowse, Zalmon, 1 i 
Ruhl, John, 25 
Rupp, Charles G., 25 
Schaber, Charles F., 19 
Schaeffer, Jacob H., 528 
Schafer, Jacob F., 42 i 
Scheerer, Nicholas, 591 
Schick, Lorenz. 235 
Schieber, Henry, 108 
Schieber, John C, 406 
Schiefer, Christopher G.,701 
Schifer, Frederick, 364 
Schill, Joseph, 315 
Schuler, Philip, 344 
Schwemley, Albert H., 262 
Schwenk, Henry L., 760 
Scott, David A., 661 
Scott, Josiah, 18 
Scroggs, Charles J., 200 
Scroggs, Jacob, 269 
Sears, Benjamin, 51 
Sears, Frank O., 544 
Sears, RufnsV., 53 
Seele, William C, 512 
Seery, Jacob, 538 
Seery, Peter, 54 I 
Seery, Solomon, 809 
Shade, Simon, 674 
Shalter, Hiram, 699 
Shalter, John, 503 
Sharrock, Charles A., 243 
Sharrock, Garrett, 22!) 
Sheckler, Charles R., 576 
Sheckler, John P., 474 
Sheckler, William H., 404 
Sheehand, J. P., 597 

^Sheetz, Jacob, 73 

-Sheetz, John H., 265 
Sheibley, Albert, 256 
Sheibley, Matthias, 589 
Shell, Joseph M., 015 
Sherer, Emanuel D. , 224 
Sherer, Jacob, 223 
Sherer, John A., IS 
Sherer, John C, 43 
Shilling, Clyde D., 763 
Shroll, George, 546 
Shumaker, Charles B., 192 
Shupp, Samuel, 540 
Siefert, John E., 502 
Siefert, Michael, 71 
Sigler, George E., 786 
Simmons, Benjamin F., 680 
Sinn, Benjamin A., 826 

""Smith, Alexander, 802 
Smith, Anthony, 542 
Smith, Harrison, 343 
Smith, Hiram E., 3 I i 



Smith, Jefferson I., 328 

""Smith, John A., 587 

-Smith, John F., 577 
Smith, L. M., 388 
Snavely, Isaac, (519 
Snyder, Samuel, 552 
Snyder, William, 381 
Spahr, George A., 14!) 
Sponseller, Samuel, 121 
Sprankle, Allen G., 217 
Springer, Matthias M., 151 
Stahley, Reuben, 295 
Starner, George W., 281 
Starner, Leonard, 785 
Steinhilber, Ezekiel, 155 
Stevens, Benjamin, 710 ', 
Stevens, Jacob H., 504 
Stevens, Sherman H., 496 
Stine, William A. 492, 
Stock, Samuel A., 737 
Stuckey, George, 551 
Stumpf, Frank, 790 
Sturtz, Fremont F., 120 
Swingley, Frederick, 139 
Taylor, William S., 274 
Teel, Elisabeth, 333 
Tobias, James C, 32 
Tobin, Charles, 700 
Tobin, Thomas, 547 
Tracht, R. C, 414 
Trago, John H., 438 
Tuttle, William S., 614 
Uhl, Jacob, 658 
Ulmer, Jacob, S49 
Underwood, Valentine, 72 I 
Valentine, Horace E., 20 
Virtue, Frank M., 516 
Vollrath, Charles, 84 
Vollrath, Edward, 01 
Walker, John A., 75!) 
Waller, Lysander M., 518 
Warner, Frank P., (ill 
Warner, Robert K., 170 
Weaver, George, 735 
Weaver, John J., 714 
Wechter, Frank, 458 
Wechter, George, 594 
Wentz, John, 321 
White, Leo, 827 
Whitmyer, Charles L., 325 
YVickham, George W., 722 
Williams, G. Washington, 221 
Williamson, David, 13 
Wingert, Andrew, 782 
Winkelfoos, Michael, 639 
Wisman, Adam J., 151 
Wisman, Frederick, 279 
Wood, Martin V. B., 718 
Woods, Thomas C, 202 
Young, Bernard, 5! 15 
Youngblood, R. M., 846 
Zimmerman, George D., 683 



A CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY 

OF 

CRAWFORD COUNTY, OHIO. 



Introductory. 

From the east and southeast came the pioneers who made the early 
white settlement in the state of Ohio. Hardy sons of toil were they, following, 
closely upon the steps of the retreating- savages. Broad and deep did they lay 
the foundations of civilization; wisely and well did the old residents build 
thereupon; and the magnificent results have been enlarged, beautified and 
enjoyed by their successors. 

The state of Ohio was organized and ushered into existence on the 3d 
day of March. 1803, with its present limits of territory, — two hundred and ten 
miles north and south, two hundred and twenty miles east and west, in 
length and breadth, embracing approximately 39,964 square miles. The- 
closing days of the first century of existence of the state constitute a fitting" 
occasion for the publication of a centennial biographical record of those whose 
civilizing influences wrought the great changes that have taken place in this' 
region since its reclamation from the savages and of those who are now car- 
rying forward the work thus inaugurated. To this end the succeeding pages 
of biography are devoted to the lives and deeds of many who have been prom- 
inent in the settlement, growth and development of Crawford county. 

The origin of Crawford county as a distinct political division of the 
state dates back to February 20, 1820, when the general assembly of the state 
passed an act for the ''erection of certain counties" out of the vast tract of 
wilderness known as the "New Purchase," and acquired by treaty on the 29th 

of September, 181 7, made at the foot of the Maumee rapids with the Indians,,. 

1 



io CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

who ceded to the United States the whole of the remaining portion of the state 
still under Indian domination. 

By a treaty made at Greenville, August 3, 1795.. the United States had 
acquired of the Indians the whole of the state of Ohio save that portion in- 
cluded within a line drawn from the mouth of the Cuyahoga river to Fort 
Laurens, the present site of Bolivar, in Tuscarawas county, and thence west 
with the line known as the "Greenville Treaty Line" or "Indian Boundary." 
In 1807 a further cession was made by the Indians, of that part of their ter- 
ritories which was included between the line of the Cuyahoga river and a new 
one, drawn from a point on the southern shore of Lake Erie, between the mouth 
of Sandusky Bay and Portage river, to a point due south on the "Boundary 
line," a point just a little east of the village of Cardington, in Morrow county. 
This line passed through what is now Crawford count}-, on the western bound- 
ary of the "Three-Mile Strip," represented in its width in this county by 
Sandusky township. 

It is to be remembered that Richland county, then rapidly settling up, ex- 
tended to the eastern border of the "Three Mile Strip," and that the eastern 
tier of townships of Crawford county, namely, Auburn, Vernon, Jackson and 
Polk, originally belonged to Richland county. 

By the act of the general assembly of Ohio, enacted Februarv 20. 1820, 
the whole of the Maumee valley was opened to settlement, and was divided 
up into counties for judicial and governmental purposes. Townships 1, 2 and 
3 south, in range 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 east, and all the land east of these 
townships up to what was then the western limits of Richland county, was 
named Crawford county, in honor of the gallant soldier. Colonel William 
Crawford, who was captured by the Delaware Indians and burned by them 
at the stake, in 1782. on the plains within these boundaries. At first the di- 
vision of territory known as Crawford county did not have any political 
-ignificance or power, but was attached to Delaware county. When Marion 
county was regularly organized. December 15, 1823, Crawford county was 
attached to it, as the act reads, "for judicial purposes." This association did 
not continue long. On the 17th of February, 1824, the increase of popula- 
tion having become so great as to make it inconvenient for the more remote 
ettlers to go to Marion to transact their business, that portion of Crawford 
county which was situated north of the Wyandot reservation, "including one 
tier of townships lying east and west," was attached to Seneca county for 
judicial purposes. This continued until January 31. 1826, when, by act of 
the general assembly, Crawford county was organized into a separate and 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. n 

distinct county. This act declared "that those townships and fractional town- 
ships in Crawford county which have heretofore been attached to and formed 
a part of any township in Marion or Seneca counties, respectively, are herebv 
atached to and declared to be a part of Crawford township, in said Crawford 
count}', till the same shall be otherwise provided for by the commissioners 
of said count\." 

Crawford county as thus organized embraced a scope of territory three 
congressional townships in width, and extended from the eastern boundary 
of Sandusky and Cranberry townships to the western boundary of Crawford, 
Salem, and Mifflin townships in Wyandot county. The Wyandot Indian 
Reservation covered the larger part of what is now Wyandot county and 
three miles of the western portion of what is now Bucyrus and Holmes 
townships, Crawford county. In 1835 the Indians sold to the government 
a strip seven miles off the east end of their reservation, which was sold 
by the government publicly in Marion, Ohio. February 3, 1845, Wyandot 
county was erected, and in the general reorganization of the counties that 
occurred Crawford lost all territory west of the middle line of townships in 
range 15 east, and gained from Marion county a strip of territory two miles 
wide extending to the Richland county line, and from the latter county on 
the east a tract four miles wide, extending the whole length of Crawford 
from north to south, some twenty miles. But in 1848 a tier of fractional 
sections were taken off in the erection of Morrow county, leaving Crawford 
in its present limits. On the 6th of March, 1845, tne county commissioners 
organized the county into townships. A change was made in the following 
June, establishing Jackson township, and in March, 1873, Jefferson town- 
ship was erected, and since then no change has been made in boundary lines 
of townships. The county, as now arranged, is comprised of the following 
civil townships : Auburn, Vernon, Jackson, Polk, Jefferson, Sandusky, Cran- 
berry, Chatfield, Liberty, Whetstone, Dallas, Bucyrus, Holmes, Lykens, Texas 
and Todd. 

A large proportion of the early settlers of Crawford county were from 
Xew England, Xew York, Pennsylvania and other eastern states, while a few 
came from the south. But later in the settlement of the county the German 
elements assumed the ascendancy. About the year 1832 there was a large 
accession of German population, coming direct from Germany, by way of the 
Erie canal to Buffalo and thence to Cleveland or Sandusky. The political 
troubles of Germany, in 1848, brought many Germans to the county, and, 
to-day, many a German "agitator" is represented among the county's most 



i2 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

reliable citizens. The Pennsylvania Dutch, also, are numerously represented 
in the county. 

Colonel William Crawford, in whose honor Crawford county was 
named, was a Virginian, of Scotch-Irish lineage, born in the year 1732. His 
childhood home was that of a pioneer farmer of the Old Dominion. His edu- 
cation was limited. In early life he learned the art of surveying in com- 
panionship with Washington, and followed the vocation, together with farm 
work, until about twenty-three years of age. 

In the year 1755 he forsook the plow and compass and began a most 
brilliant military career. Commissioned an ensign by the governor of Vir- 
ginia, and joining a company of riflemen, he accompanied the army of the 
ill-fated General Braddock in the march against Fort du Ouesne. For gal- 
lantry displayed upon that disastrous occasion, Ensign Crawford was pro- 
moted the following- year to a lieutenancy. Later he received a cap- 
tain's commission, recruited a company and participated in the second 
march against Fort du Ouesne, reaching which the army found it 
vacated. F or three years thereafter Captain Crawford remained in 
the army service of Virginia, and then returned to his home in the valley 
of the Shenandoah. Until 1707 he was again engaged in farming and sur- 
veying. After examining the valley of the Youghiogheny, he located there 
in what is now Fayette county, Pennsylvania, thither removing his family 
in the year 1769. 

\\ hen the war of independence came on he recruited a regiment for 
continental service. January 12, 1776, he was made lieutenant-colonel of the 
Fifth Virginia Regiment, and October 1 ith, the same year, he was appointed 
colonel of the Seventh Regiment of Virginia battalions, by congress, com- 
mission to be dated the 14th of August. Colonel Crawford served under 
Washington upon the seaboard, repaired to Fort Pitt, built Fort Crawford, 
engaged under Mcintosh in the Detroit expedition, aided Clark's expedition, 
then retired from active military service by returning to his home, hoping to 
discontinue in warfare. But, induced to join in the Sandusky expedition, we 
find him again in warfare, and it was in this last named expedition that he 
1" I his life. While on this expedition he was captured by the Delaware 
Indians, and at their hands met an awful death by torture, — burning at the 
stake. June 1 1. 1782 ! 

it is fitting that some mention, in this connection, be made of the gallant 
officers who served under Colonel Crawford in the Sandusky expedition. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 13 

Colonel David Williamson, one of them, participated in the Sandusky 
expedition as held major. He was a patriot, who loved his country. Worthy 
of especial note in his valor displayed at the battle of Olentangy, fought in 
what is now Whetstone township, Crawford county, June 6, 1782. He did 
much to encourage his heroic little band of soldiers, and was ably seconded 
by the indefatigable "John Rose," whose cheerfulness, suavity and coolness 
were only equalled by his wonderful skill and intrepidity. 

"John Rose," the hero of the retreat of Crawford's army from the plains 
of Sandusky, it afterward developed, was rea'iy a young Russian nobleman — 
the Baron Gustavus H. Rosenthal, of Livonia — who, because of killing an- 
other in a duel, had been obliged to fly from his own country and seek safety, 
first in England and then in America. In the Revolutionary war he served 
the colonists with fidelity until its close, without having revealed his true 
name or rank, and then, by permission, returned to Europe, subsequent to the 
Sandusky expedition. He was regarded with favor by Emperor Alexander 
ancl became grand marshal of the province of Livonia. The first link in that 
bright chain of friendship, which has ever existed between the Russian em- 
pire and the United States, was forged by "John Rose." 

Other officers who served under Colonel Crawford in the expedition 

were: Thomas Gaddis, John McClelland, Britton, who were field 

majors; Daniel Leet, brigade major; John Knight, surgeon; and John Slover 
and Jonathan Zane, pilots. 

On the site of the battle of Olentangy there stands a monument erected 
to the memory of the brave army of the Sandusky expedition. 

Samuel Norton, the first settler of Bucyrus township, was born within 
one mile of Congress Spring, near Saratoga, New York, March 3, 1870. 
His father was of Scotch descent, and many years previous to the birth of 
Samuel had emigrated from Scotland and settled in Connecticut. Samuel 
Norton was married, January 1, 1804, to Miss Mary Bucklin, who was born 
in Coventry, Kent county, Rhode Island, October 31, 1785. The Bucklins 
were of English descent, and Mary Bucklin s parents removed from Rhode 
Island to Little Falls, New York, when she was about six years of age, 
and some twelve years afterwards to what is now Susquehanna county, 
Pennsylvania, where she was married to Samuel Norton. The young couple 
settled near Elk Hill, then in Luzerne but now in Susquehanna county. The 



14 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

district is situated in the mountain regions of that state ; the land is poor, and 
even at that time the country was very wild. It is said that at one time, 
while Norton was still a resident of Elk Hill, he shot a panther which meas- 
ured eleven feet and three inches in length ! These wild beasts have never 
been seen in Crawford county since it was first settled by white men; and, 
although the first settlers of Bucyrus township emigrated to a newer country, 
they did not, in some respects, find a wilder one. 

Norton was dissatisfied with this wild, rocky Pennsylvania land, and, 
after residing there with his wife for fifteen years, determined to seek a more 
pleasing country. He caught the western fever and finally decided that his 
destination should be the land obtained by the "New Purchase." His wife 
was opposed to this movement of the Norton family and refused to go unless 
her brother Albijence Bucklin would go along. Norton finally succeeded in 
inducing Bucklin to accompany him with his family, by promising him fifty 
acres of land. Norton had previously visited the new country, selected a quar- 
ter section on the present site of Bucyrus, and had returned to his native state 
for his family. Very late in the spring of 1819 the pioneers left their home 
in Pennsylvania, and, after journeying about six hundred miles in a big 
"schooner" wagon, reached the quarter section of land which Norton had se- 
lected, in October, 1819. The party consisted of the following eighteen 
persons : Samuel Norton and his wife, Mary Norton ; their three daughters, 
Louisa, Catherine and Elizabeth (the late Mrs. A. M. Jones); their three 
sons, — Rensellear, Warren and Waldo Norton; Albijence Bucklin and his 
wife; their six children, — Esther, Cynthia, Austris, Elizabeth, Almeda and 
Pitt; also, Polly, an adopted daughter of the Bucklins, and Seth Holmes. 

After reaching their destination the two families lived for three days in 
an Indian wigwam, which stood near the present site of the court house, and 
during this brief period the three men constructed a more durable residence. 
This first rude home was built of small round logs and erected upon the bluff of 
the Sandusky river. The two families moved into this log cabin, and shortly 
afterward another was built for the Bucklin family. When these early settlers 
constructed their first cabin the nearest white neighbors were eight miles off, 
1 >n the banks of the Olentangy, and that settlement consisted of only a few 
squatters, who were generally as nomadic in habit as they were transient 
in location. The Norton family occupied their first log cabin home during one 
winter and until July, 1820. In this cabin was born, on the nth of February, 
1820, Sophronia Norton, who was the first white child born on the site of the 
present city of Bucyrus, and probably was the first born in the present limits of 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 15 

Crawford county. Samuel Norton operated a tannery on a small scale for 
several years, farmed and in 1835 built and opened a hotel. He was an old- 
school Baptist and a man of many sterling qualities. He died April 18, 1856, 
in the seventy-seventh year of his age. His wife, Mary Norton, lived three 
years after her husband's death, and finally passed away, April 29, 1859. 
Other children born unto them, not already mentioned, were Harris P., 
Charles, Jefferson and William B. Being the first settler and original pro- 
prietor of the land on which Bucyrus was laid out, Samuel Norton was justly 
entitled to the name of the "Father of Bucyrus." 

Colonel James Kilbourne was a native of Xew Britain, Connecticut, 
born October 9, 1770, was highly educated, and in early life became a member 
of the Protestant Episcopal church, and about the year 1800 was ordained. 
"When scarcely more than nineteen years of age he married Lucy Fitch, 
daughter of the celebrated John Fitch, the inventor and builder of the first 
steamboat in the world. He became a pioneer settler of Ohio, in 1802, and the 
following- year established a colony from his native state in the Scioto valley. 
A church was built and he became the rector. He visited neighboring set- 
tlements in other parts of the state, preaching and organizing church societies, 
many of which became permanent Episcopal churches. He retired from the 
ministry in 1804. 

Upon the organization of the state government of Ohio, he was appointed 
a civil magistrate, and also an officer of the militia for the northwestern 
frontier. In the spring of 1805 he explored the southern shore of Lake Erie, 
and selected the site of the city of Sandusky. About this time he was made 
state's surveyor of a large portion of public lands. In 1806 he was appointed 
one of the first trustees of the Ohio' College at Athens, and in 1808 one of 
three commissioners to locate the seat of Miami University. 

During this year he married for a second wife Miss Cynthia Goodale. 
his first wife having died soon after he came to Ohio. 

About this time he was made major of the "Frontier Regiment." later 
was promoted to the colonelcy, but this position he resigned, as he also did 
the former position. On the organization of the Worthington College, in 
1812, he was elected its president. The same year he was appointed by Presi- 
dent Madison as a commissioner to settle the boundary between the public 
lands and the Great Virginia Reservation. Immediately after the comple- 
tion of this service he was elected a member of congress. Later he became a 
colonel, hence his military title. In 1814 he was again elected to congress. 



1 6 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

In 1823 he was elected to the state legislature, and again in 1838-39 he was 
a member of that body. After a long, useful and active career he died, at 
Worthington, Ohio, April 9, 1850. Why is he mentioned in a biographical 
history of Crawford county ? It was while surveying public lands that Colonel 
Kilbourne first appeared in what is now Crawford county. It was he who 
then persuaded Samuel Norton to have a town survey made upon his farm. 
Norton owned the laud on which Bucyrus is now located. The location the 
Colonel regarded as a beautiful site for a town. It was within a few miles of a 
direct line of travel from Sandusky, the nearest point on Lake Erie, to Co- 
lumbus, the state capital; a tide of emigration had set in; many were settling 
in the vicinity, and consequently the prospects for a thriving village at this 
point were flattering. After some hesitation Air. Norton consented to the 
survey, and Colonel Kilbourne made the original town plat in February, 1822. 
The new town was named Bucyrus by the Colonel. One of his favorite his- 
toric characters was Cyrus, the Persian general who conquered the city of 
Babylon, and there is reason for believing that Colonel Kilbourne named the 
town in honor of this distinguished character, prefixing to the name "Cyrus" 
the syllable "bu," the sound of the first part of the word "beautiful," declar- 
ing that the name Bucyrus should always mean "beautiful Cyrus." 

Daniel McMichael was born in Ireland about 1778. and when about 
sixteen years old his parents emigrated to America and settled in Westmore- 
land county, Pennsylvania. When he attained his majority he married Mary 
McDowell, who was a native of Scotland and came to the United States with 
her parents at an early date. The following children were the issue of their 
marriage: David, Mathew, William. Martha, Alary, Daniel, Allen and Hat- 
tie. In 1820 McMichael removed with his 'wife and family to Crawford 
county, and settled for a few weeks on what is now the northern part of 
Bucyrus corporation. Being a miller by trade and a mechanical genius, he de- 
sired to engage in the milling business, and, finding a more suitable location 
about four miles tip the Sandusky river, removed his family to the land he 
first entered in Liberty township, which township he was the first settler to 
invade. In a few months he commenced work on this new enterprise, which 
was the first mill erected in what was then Crawford county. He soon found 
he could not depend upon the Sandusky river for water to keep the machinery 
running twelve months each year, and, the outlook not being promising, he 
rented the mill in 1823 to Nehemiah Squire and removed to Bucyrus, where 
he died some two vears later. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 17 

Colonel Zalmon Rowse was among the earliest pioneers of Crawford 
county. He was a native of the Bay state, born in the year 1789. His par- 
ents were poor and unable to give him the advantages of a classical educa- 
tion. He was endowed with a quick and comprehensive mind and by his own 
efforts he succeeded in getting a good education, which he turned to the best 
advantage by engaging in school teaching. When sixteen years old he went 
to Wayne county, Pennsylvania, and while there, when he had arrived at the 
age of nineteen, he was married to Miss Mehetabel Kent, who was then six- 
teen years old. In the spring of 182 1 he walked from Wayne county, Penn- 
sylvania — five hundred miles — to Crawford county, Ohio, where he entered 
three tracts of land of eighty acres each, after which he again walked to his 
home. In the fall of the same year he came to this county with his family, 
which consisted of his wife and six children, coming by means of a team of 
oxen, arriving in December. He first located in Whetstone township, but later 
in Bucvrus township. He taught one term of school after he came to the 
county. 

Mr. Rowse was a man well fitted for public trusts, and the citizens ap- 
preciated his natural abilities by electing him to many important positions. He 
was one of the first justices of the peace in Bucvrus township, and served 
in this capacity for nearly twenty years. In 1825 he was commissioned lieu- 
tenant-colonel of the Fourth Regiment of Ohio Militia. During the latter 
part of 1825 and until Crawford county was organized, in 1826, Colonel Rowse 
served as one of the commissioners of Marion county, to> which Crawford 
county was then attached "for judicial purposes." Upon the organization of 
Crawford county Mr. Beardsley was appointed clerk, but shortly afterward 
resigned, and Colonel Rowse became his successor. He served the people 
faithfully in this position for many years. At this time the recording of 
deeds and mortgages was a part of the duties of Colonel Rowse, and he left 
an excellent file of records. 

In 1826 he was one of the charter members of the Columbus & San- 
dusky Turnpike Company, and in 1846 a charter member of the Bucyrus 
Lodge of Freemasons. In 1831 he erected the American Hotel of Bucyrus. 
His death occurred August 15, 1854, after a residence in the county of over 
thirty years. He was a member of the Whig party and was a man of gen- 
eral respect. Of his children, Horace and William Rowse became prominent 
merchants of Bucyrus. 

Lewis Cary, born in New Jersey, in 1783, first resided in Jefferson 



1 8 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

county, Ohio, but came to Crawford county in the spring of 1822; erected the 
first hewed-log cabin, with a shingle roof and grooved floor, in Bucyrus, all 
other cabins until then having been made of round logs and puncheon floors ; 
built and operated the first tannery in Crawford county, and was the first 
postmaster of the village of Bucyrus, being appointed by President Monroe, 
about 1823. He died in Defiance, Ohio, in 1866. 

Josiah Scott. — Perhaps the most distinguished lawyer and jurist of 
Crawford county was Josiah Scott, of whom the following eulogy was de- 
livered in 1886 before the Ohio State Bar Association, by the Hon. Stephen R. 
Harris, of Bucyrus : 

"Josiah Scott was born on the 1st day of December, 1803, in Washing- 
ton county, Pennsylvania, on his father's farm, three miles from Cannons- 
burg, the seat of Jefferson College, where he was educated under Dr. Matthew 
Brown, and received his religious impressions under the celebrated Dr. Mc- 
Millen. He lived at home, walked daily to and from the college, and grad- 
uated in the year 1823, with the highest honors of a class of thirty-two 
young men, many of whom afterwards rose to distinction, mostly in the 
church and as college presidents, among whom may be mentioned the names 
of David H. Riddle, LL. D., president of Washington and Jefferson College, 
and David L. Carroll, D. D., president of Hampden Sidney College, Virginia. 

"After his graduation he was thrown entirely on his own resources and 
set out at once to enter courageously upon the life work before him. He first 
went to eastern Pennsylvania and for a period of two years taught in a classical 
academy at Newton, Bucks county, and in this time prepared several students 
for the freshman class at college, some of whom graduated at his own alma 
mater and came to preferment in after life. He went south and taught a 
classical school for two years in Richmond, Virginia, employing his leisure 
time in the study of law. He then returned to the home of his youth and was 
soon after chosen by the authorities as a tutor in Jefferson, where four years 
before he had taken his degree with distinguished honor. He taught in this 
institution for one year, during which he employed his leisure intervals in 
pursuing his legal studies. At the end of that time he decided to visit Ohio, 
with a view of selecting a location for the practice of law. He traveled 
west on horseback, as was the custom of the day, and arrived at Mansfield in 
the spring of 1829, where he visited Hon. Thomas W. Bartley, who had been 
his pupil at college and afterward became his associate on the bench. He 
was admitted to the bar and permanently located himself at Bucyrus, the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 19 

county Seat of Crawford county, Ohio, in the month of June, 1829, when 
that village was but a hamlet in the wilderness, and nearly half of the county 
was, and for some fifteen years afterward remained an Indian reservation, oc- 
cupied by the Wyandots. 

"His abilities were very soon appreciated and he rapidly rose in his 
profession, so that he was regarded as a lawyer of great influence with court 
and jury, both in Bucyrus and in the surrounding counties, where he had 
a growing practice. In 1840 he was elected as a representative to the general 
assembly for the counties of Crawford, Marion and Delaware. In 1855 
he removed to Hamilton, Butler county, and continued the practice of his 
profession with great distinction and success, in competition with such lawyers 
as John Woods, Lewis D. Campbell, Thomas Milliken and William Bebb. 
In October, 1857, lie was elected judge of the supreme court of Ohio, for 
the term commencing on the 9th day of February, 1857. Shortly after his 
election he was appointed by the governor. Chase, to fill the vacancy caused 
by the resignation of Judge Ranney, and held under the appointment until the 
9th day of February, the commencement of the regular term. He was twice 
re-elected and continued on the bench until the 9th day of February, 1872. hav- 
ing declined to be a candidate for another term. 

"Some vears before he left the bench he returned again to Bucyrus, and 
at the expiration of his term he resumed practice and continued until January. 
1876, when he was appointed by Governor Hayes a member of the supreme 
court commission. On the expiration of the commission, in February, 1879, 
he again resumed the practice of his profession, but was soon stricken with a 
malignant disease, which terminated his life on the 15th day of June, 1879, 
in the seventy-sixth year of his age, but still in his intellectual prime. 

"Such, gentlemen of the Ohio State Bar Association, is a brief sketch 
of the eventful life of one of the most gifted men who ever adorned our pro- 
fession. It is with a willing heart and grateful mind that I embrace the 
present opportunity to commemorate his virtues, only regretting my inability 
to set forth in a deserving manner the tribute which I shall endeavor to bring 
to his memory. 

"Over thirty-seven years ago I came to Bucyrus a stranger, and com- 
menced the practice of my chosen profession. I was young and diffident, 
and the first member of the bar to give me a friendly greeting and extend the 
hand of encouragement was the Hon. Josiah Scott. After a few months' 
acquaintance and professional intercourse he invited me into his office as a 
partner. We continued our partnership until he removed to Hamilton. After 



20 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

he returned from Hamilton to reside in Bucyrus, while still on the bench, he 
made my office his headquarters, and at the expiration of his term we re- 
sumed our partnership, after an interval of over twenty years. We continued 
together until his death, and by the terms of his last will and testament he 
made me one of his executors. Do> I need, therefore, to> apologize for my 
veneration of the man, and when I say I will revere his memory as a friend 
and benefactor until the last pulsation of my heart ? 

"In the professional and judicial career of Judge Scott he did not neglect 
the pursuits of learning, but habitually indulged in mathematics, the reading 
of English classical authors and the study of Latin and Greek literature. 
Of the ancient classics, Horace and Demosthenes were his favorite authors. 
He would turn at random to any portion of Horace or Virgil and translate 
them fluently into elegant English. Sometimes, in his arguments at the bar, 
in the midst of a flight of eloquqence, he would quote and adapt passages from 
Pollock's Course of Time or Milton's Paradise Lost with such ease and grace, 
and so appropriate to his theme as to make his hearers lose sight of the 
quotation. 

"He was always diffident and retiring until called out by some genial 
friends or professional associates, in whose company he might be cast. On 
such occasions he was always found to possess conversational powers of a 
high order, enlivening his conversation by a warm glow of delicate humor and 
brightening it often by lively flashes of wit. His knowledge and skill in 
mathematics were astonishing. No mathematical problem capable of solution 
baffled him. It may be safely asserted that he was absolute master of algebra 
and geometry. He would solve difficult algebraic problems mentally in an 
incredibly short space of time, announcing his methods as he progressed. 
By way of light reading he would peruse by the hour that wonderful pro- 
duction, Euler's Elements of Algebra, with as much delight as if it were a 
romance, instead of a work so deep that few but professional mathematicians 
could comprehend it. 

"Whilst he was a profound scholar and linguist, yet his greatest tri- 
umphs were at the bar. He had leading practice in all the counties in his 
part of the state, and rarely was an important jury case tried but he con- 
ducted one side of it. It was there he displayed his great power as a nisi- 
prius lawyer. His skill was displayed in the cross examination of witnesses. 
He seldom rebuked or intimidated a witness so as to excite his stubbornness 
or aggravate his hostility, but rather led him along first in the line of undis- 
puted facts in a pleasant manner until he would get the truth out of him, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 21 

when it was unintentional on the part of the witness, who had gone on the 
stand with the full determination to perjure himself in behalf of the opposite 
party. On such occasions a grim shade of disappointment might be ob- 
served to steal over the countenances of the opposing counsel. In his argu- 
ments he was ordinarily mild, eloquent and persuasive before a jury, but 
when occasion required he would pour out a torrent of invective that was 
overwhelming, like that of Curran's celebrated denunciation of Flood in the 
Irish parliament. In his argument to the court, Judge Scott was logical and 
convincing. He belonged to that older class of lawyers who began the prac- 
tice when books were few, but read, studied and thoroughly mastered all the 
elementary principles of the law. I have seen him in combats with other law- 
yers of the same class, a race that has nearly all disappeared, such as Judge 
Stewart, Bartley, Kirkwood, Brinkerhoff and Cooper K. Watson, and deep 
were the impressions they made on my mind in the outset of my practice. 
What models for the emulation of the young - practitioner ! In their legal con- 
flicts it was a battle of giants. What ponderous arguments, mostly on prin- 
ciples rather than an array of authorities, with Judge Bowen on the bench 
to appreciate them, without requiring the production of books! Such thrusts 
and such parries ! Such logical reasoning, so pregnant with legal principles 
that they would seem unanswerable, and then see an antagonist meet and 
combat them like Hercules with his club! I sometimes pause and ask, Will 
ever cases be tried like those again ? 

"Whilst on the bench, Judge Scott's position was characterized by the 
highest degree of learning- and accuracy. His published judicial opinions are 
found in the Ohio State Reports, from volume V to volume XXI inclusive, and 
the first series of volumes containing the decisions of the commission, and 
they take rank with the best ever announced from the bench. In preparing 
a brief, when a lawyer finds a decision of Judge Scott on the subject, it always 
affords pleasure and relief. His analysis is so complete and his reasoning 
so conclusive and easily understood that one almost wonders why the question 
should ever have been involved in doubt. It is also a notable feature of the 
Ohio State Reports that there are few, if any, dissenting opinions in cases 
where the decisions were announced by Judge Scott. He left his impression 
upon the jurisprudence of Ohio as distinctly as any other figure in the his- 
tory of our courts, and his opinions are not only sound, but instructive. 

''He was an earnest believer and professor of the truths of the Christian 
religion, whose holy precepts he practiced in the whole course of his life. It 
mav safely be asserted that he never in his life, in his business, in his pro- 



22 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

fession, in court or elsewhere, did or conceived a dishonorable act, and his 
life teaches us that without professional uprightness and integrity there can 
be no enduring success. Judge Scott always regarded it as a duty, not only to 
his client and himself, but a higher and more important one to his country, 
which bestows on a lawyer important privileges and requires of him important 
services, to discourage groundless and unlawful litigation, and to present his 
client's case truthfully and fairly. Sad, indeed, would be the thought, when 
such a man is gone from earth, were all his learning" and wisdom gone, too. 
But all of such men cannot die. While his body slumbers in the earth his 
words of wisdom and his example of purity will shed their lustre as a beacon 
to guide those who succeed him." 

Lawrence \Y. Hall came from Cuyahoga county in the spring of 1844 
and commenced the practice of law in Bucyrus. For six years from October, 
1845, he held the office of county prosecuting attorney; was elected judge of 
the common-pleas court in 1851 and held the office until 1857; was elected a 
member of the house of representatives of the thirty-fifth congress, and then 
resumed the practice of law. He was a brilliant, able lawyer, and as a 
political and partisan leader possessed even still greater ability. In the last 
years of his life his course was less commendable. The opposition to the war 
of the Rebellion, developed in Bucyrus and vicinity, attracted the attention of 
the government, and in 1862 Judge Hall was arrested and nominally held for 
several weeks a political prisoner, at Camp Mansfield, and finally discharged 
without further action. In consequence of ill health, largely on account of 
drink, he was on parole, and required to report. — only as it suited his con- 
venience. He died at Bucyrus, January 18, 1863. 

Josiah S. Plants, born in Pennsylvania in 1820, died in Bucyrus, Au- 
gust 23, 1863, of wounds received by the accidental discharge of a gun. He 
was educated in Ashland (Ohio) Academy, studied law under the preceptor- 
ship of Judge Josiah Scott, and was admitted to the bar and began practice 
at Bucyrus, in 1844. He rose very rapidly in the profession, and, in 1858 was 
elected judge of the common-pleas court; and while in office he was dis- 
tinguished for industry, honesty of purpose, devotion to his friends, fidelity to 
his clients and earnestness and force as a public speaker. His career at the 
bar and on the bench was such as to justify the highest expectations of his 
friends had his life been prolonged. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 23 

Alonzo M. Jones, deceased, was a native of Berkshire county, Massa- 
chusetts, horn April 4, 181 1. His parents were Ludwig and Mary (Hale) 
Jones. They removed to the Western Reserve in the spring of 181 7 and 
settled in Lorain county, where their son was reared. He had gained a 
limited education when, at the age of fourteen, he lost his father in death, and 
thereafter, until twenty-one, the care and support of his family fell upon him. 
He began the study of medicine, in the spring of 1832, at La Grange, in the 
office of Dr. E. W. Hubbard. A year later he attended lectures at the medical 
school in Worthington, Ohio, graduating in July, 1834. He came to Bucyrus, 
in December, 1835, an< ^ thereafter continued his profession with scarcely an 
interruption until 1843. For some seven years thereafter Dr. Jones operated 
a woolen mill, and then, selling his interest in the mill to a partner, he engaged 
in the real-estate business, for several years with success. In 1866, in com- 
pany with three other gentlemen, Dr. Jones embarked in the manufacture of 
hubs, spokes and bent work. He was a competent business man and a 
worthy citizen. 

In 1838, he married Elizabeth Norton, a daughter of Samuel Norton, an 
early pioneer of the county, and the original proprietor of the land on which 
the village of Bucyrus was first laid out. Of the eight children born unto the 
marriage, five died in infancy and childhood. The other three were Mary L., 
wife of Col. W. C. Lemert, Lorenzo E. and Volney W. 

Dr. George Keller, deceased, was one of the most eminent and skillful 
physicians and surgeons that ever graced the medical profession in Crawford 
county. He was a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, the date of his 
birth being November 24, 1826. He was three years old when his father re- 
moved to Ohio and settled at Dalton, where Dr. Keller spent his youth and was 
educated. When only fifteen he began the study of medicine, under a practi- 
tioner of Dalton, and until he was prepared to practice, both studied medicine 
and taught sciiool. At DeKalb, Ohio, he began the practice and after some 
time spent there he went to Cleveland to further prepare himself for the pro- 
fession by attending medical lectures during the sessions of 1846 and 1847. 

Returning to Dalton, he practiced there until March, 1850, when he be- 
came physician for a party of two hundred and forty people, who were travel- 
ing overland to California, this journey covering a period of one hundred and 
eight days and fraught with some accidents and fatal occurrences, nine men 
being killed by the Indians on Pitt river. On July 4, 1850. the}- reached their 
destination, arriving at a point on the Sacramento river. For six months Dr. 



24 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Keller practiced in Yuba City and Marysville. Returning to Ohio, in May, 
1 85 1, he located at West Liberty, where he remained about three years, and, 
graduating, in the spring of 1853, from the Cincinnati Medical College, he was 
then located for a short time at Bluffton, Indiana, but in 1861 became a resi- 
dent physician of Bucyrus, where he continued until the time of his death, with 
an interruption of about two years spent at Churubusco, Indiana. 

In 1877 and 1878 he was a member of the faculty of the Fort Wayne 
Medical College. He was well educated and of varied knowledge and skill 
in his profession. He was noted for his literary ability and extensive knowl- 
edge of various subjects. Some ten years ago death closed his useful and 
exemplary career. In 1848 he married Mary J. English, of Canton, Ohio, who 
survives him and still resides in Bucyrus. 

James S. McCarrell, one of the best known older citizens of Bucyrus, 
was born in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, February 16, 1836. His par- 
ents were James and Nancy (Shearer) McCarrell. He was reared on a 
farm and educated in the common schools until fourteen years of age, when 
he was sent to an academy at Hookstown, Pennsylvania, where he studied for 
three years, after which he spent six years in teaching school. When aged 
twenty-four years he entered a dental office at New Brighton, Pennsylvania, 
where he was a student of dentistry for three years. After a further stay of 
two years in New Brighton he came to Ohio and located in Bucyrus, and 
began the practice of dentistry, in which he has been so successful as to estab- 
lish a high reputation for himself. 

January 16, 1867, Dr. McCarrell married Mary Matthews, of San- 
dusky, Ohio. 

Asa Hosford was among the early settlers of Crawford county. He 
was born in Richfield, Massachusetts, in 1799, and lived to a ripe old age, 
spending an active and fruitful life. When he was six years of age his par- 
ents became residents of Jefferson county, New York, where they spent four- 
teen years and then removed to Ontario county, New York. He was reared 
< in the farm, and when he became twenty-one years of age, and having a strong 
desire to see Ohio, he and his brother went by steamboat to Cleveland, and 
then started out on foot for the interior of the state. This was in the fall 
of 1819, and in Huron county Mr. Hosford remained all winter, and was 
joined in the spring by his parents, who with him located in Crawford county, 
where he worked for several years to earn his first one hundred dollars, with 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 25 

which he entered eighty acres of land near Galion. In the year 1824 he 
opened the first hotel in the neighborhood. It was located within the present 
site of Galion, and for eight years he was its proprietor, and then sold it for 
six hundred dollars, and purchased forty-three acres of land, which was situ- 
ated where the heart of Galion is to-day. It was his intention to lay out a 
town on it, but finally sold the land to Michael and Jacob Ruhl, who laid out 
the town of Galion, September 10, 1831. Mr. Hosford, in 1832, purchased 
the mill property in Polk township, which he operated for more than fifty 
years. 

In 1825 Alta Kent became his wife, who bore him three children, viz.: 
Rebecca, Eri and Stephen. 

John Ruhl, the father of Michael and Jacob Ruhl, who laid out the 
town of Galion, September 10, 1831, came from York county, Pennsylvania, 
direct to Crawford county. His family consisted of his wife and his children. 
— Michael, Jacob, Levi, Henry, Peter and Rebecca. He was possessed of 
considerable means in land and money, and his sons became important factors 
in the development of Polk township, and the town of Galion. His grand- 
son, Alexander A. Ruhl, son of Jacob and Sarah (Daws) Ruhl, served as 
auditor of the county four years from 1859, and was elected clerk of courts 
in 1879. Alexander A. Ruhl was born in Shrewsbury, York county, Penn- 
sylvania, April 4, 1828; was well educated; married, in 1853, Aurelia M. 
Shanke, and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. 

Charles G. Rupp, son of Peter and Hellena (Earnst) Rupp, was born 
February 3, 1822, in York county, Pennsylvania. Gottleib Rupp, his grand- 
father, was a native of Germany, came to America late in the eighteenth cen- 
tury and settled in York, Pennsylvania, where he was a butcher : he had four 
sons and two daughters. The marriage of Peter Rupp and Hellena Earnst 
was blessed with four sons and two daughters. The father died at York, 
Pennsylvania, in 1825, while the mother survived him many years, dying at 
Wapakoneta, Ohio, in 1878, aged ninety-three years. 

Charles G. Rupp received a limited education, became a clerk at the age 
of eleven, at his native town, and was thus employed for ten years. In 1843 
he came to Ohio by stage and capal, remained only a short time in Galion. 
then went to Leesville, where he kept store for three years, and then re- 
moved to Bucyrus, in 1848, and was employed as a clerk for four years. He 
then engaged in business for himself, with partners, for a short time and was 



26 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

compelled to retire on account of ill health; but later he became a clerk again. 
Upon the failure of the Bucyrus Machine Works he became the assignee and 
settled up the business, which required some three years. In 1873 he bought 
a stone quarry at Leesville, which was a profitable investment. He was post- 
master of Leesville during the administration of President Polk. In politics 
he was first a Free-soiler and then a Republican. He was married, in 1848, 
to Margaret J. Ruhl, of Gabon. To the marriage were born four children, 
— Annie, Clara, Maggie and Lincoln, who grew to maturity, while five died in 
childhood. 

HORACE EUGENE VALENTINE. 

In the affairs of state, as taken aside from the extraordinary conditions of 
warfare, there are demanded men whose mental ken is as wide and win »se gen- 
eralship is as effective as those which ensure successful maneuvering of armed 
forces by the skilled commanders on the field of battle. The nation's welfare 
and prosperity may be said to hang as heavily upon individual discrimination 
and executive ability in the one case as the other. It requires master minds 
to marshal and organize the forces for political purposes and produce the best 
results by concerted effort. One of the honored Democratic political leaders 
of Crawford count)- is Hon. Horace Eugene Valentine, who served for two 
terms as state senator from the thirty-first senatorial district, and his public 
record reflects credit upon his constituents and district which he represented. 
He is also an active man-of-affairs in business circles, being the cashier of the 
First National Bank of Bucyrus, which position he has occupied since 1898. 

Mr. Valentine is one of the native sons of Crawford county, his birth hav- 
ing occurred in the village of Benton in Texas township, April 8, 1859. He 
represents an old New York family, his ancestors having come from the Em- 
pire state. His father, James Valentine, removed to Crawford county from 
the city of Syracuse, New York, about 1830, his wife and his parents coming 
with him. He secured a tract of land in Texas township and there devoted his 
energies to agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred in the year 
1861. His wife bore the maiden name of Angeline Clark. She was born 
near Syracuse, New York, and was a daughter of Edward Clark, who served 
in the New York Militia in the war of 1842. Mrs. Valentine was called to 
her final rest in 1866. They had four sons, the eldest being Edward, who 
enlisted for service in the Civil war and died in Libby prison; Jabez Clark, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 29 

deceased; George B., deceased, and Horace Eugene. There was one daughter, 
Emily, now deceased. 

Throughout his entire life Horace Eugene Valentine has been a resident 
of Crawford county. His preliminary education, acquired in the common 
schools, was supplemented by study in the Ohio Normal University, at Ada, 
Ohio, where he was graduated in the class of 1888. The following year he 
was elected county surveyor of Crawford county and was re-elected in 1892, 
serving continuously until 1895, covering a period of nearly seven consecutive 
years. Before his retirement from that office he was elected, as a Democrat, 
to the position of state senator to represent Crawford, Seneca and Wyandot 
counties, or the thirty-first district. He served for four years and filled the 
position so creditably that in 1897 he was re-elected. He was one of the active 
working members of the senate and gave to each question which came up for 
consideration earnest thought and study and left the impress of his individ- 
uality upon the legislation of the two terms served by him. He was the 
author of the anti-trust law of Ohio, known as the Valentine Anti-Trust Law. 
It was declared constitutional by the state supreme court and if enforced 
would effectually do away with injurious and unlawful trusts. His labors 
were untiring in behalf of the people and his record is creditable to the district 
which honored him. 

In 1889 Mr. Valentine was united in marriage to Miss Josephine Nedry, 
of Texas township, a daughter of Joseph Nedry, one of the pioneer settlers 
and native sons of Crawford county, who is now seventy-five years of age. 
His father came to Ohio from Pennsylvania at a very early period in the 
development of the state. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Valentine have been born two 
children, Allen Gladstone, and Florence Emily. 

Mr. Valentine is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of 
Elks, and on the political stage such is his popularity and such his personal 
magnetism that his appearance to address the people is the signal of due en- 
thusiasm. He is a sturdy American character and a stalwart patriot, and 
has ever had the strongest admiration for our free institutions, being ever 
ready to make any personal sacrifice for their preservation. 

CYRUS W. FISHER. 

Colonel Cyrus W. Fisher, who for many years was a prominent pro- 
moter, constructor and operator of railroads in the west, has for the past 
decade been a leadings and influential citizen of Bucvrus. He was born in 



30 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Waynesville, Warren county. Ohio, on the 22(1 of September, 1835. His 
father, a prominent physician of Waynesville, removed to Indiana in 1839 
and in 1844, accompanied by his family, vent to Illinois. The following 
year he became a resident of Monroe county, Wisconsin, and in 1846 set- 
tled in Rock county, that state, from which place Cyrus W. Fisher was sent 
to Ohio in j 848 to attend school at Waynesville. In 1849 ms parents returned 
to Ohio, locating in Lebanon, Warren count}-, at which place our subject 
completed his academic studies in 185 1. Soon afterward he joined a corps 
of engineers engaged in making surveys of several railroads centering- in 
Cincinnati. He was thus employed until 1854. when he entered the service 
of the Ohio & Indiana Railroad Company, winch was constructing its line 
between Crestline, Ohio, and Fort Wayne, Indiana, serving in various 
capacities with that company, in shops, offices and in running trains upon 
the road until July, 1850. Next he entered the employ of the Bee Line 
Railroad as conductor, running between Crestline and Indianapolis. In Feb- 
ruary, 1857, he accepted a position in the office of John Canby, superintend- 
ent of the same road, at Bellefontaine, Ohio, and continued in that capacity 
until 1 86 1. 

When President Lincoln issued his first call for seventy-five thousand 
troops Mr. Fisher entered the army and was chosen first lieutenant of his 
company, which reported at Camp Chase. Columbus. It was mustered into 
the I nited States service for three years as Company F, Twenty-third Ohio 
Volunteer Infantry. The field and staff officers of the regiment were: W. 
S. Rosecrans, colonel : Stanley Mathews, lieutenant colonel ; Rutherford B. 
Hayes, major; Cyrus W. Fisher, adjutant; and Skiles Gardner, quartermas- 
ter. The regiment was sent to West Virginia, in July, 1861, and partici- 
pated in the battles, marches and hardships of the campaign of that summer 
and fall which resulted in clearing West Virginia of Rebels. In November, 
1 861, Mr. Fisher was appointed major of the Fifty-fourth Ohio Infantry, 
and joined that regiment at Camp Dennison, Ohio. In Februarv, 1862, his 
command was sent to Paducah, Kentucky, and was one of the regiments form- 
ing- the division first commanded by Brigadier General W. T. Sherman. In 
November of the same year Mr. Fisher was promoted to lieutenant colonel 
of his regiment, which remained with that division that afterward became the 
nucleus of the Fifteenth Army Corps, and thus took part in many battles and 
sieges until the close of the war. His promotions are an indication of his 
ability as a military leader and of his unquestioned loyalty and fidelity 
to duty. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 31 

In Bellefontaine, Ohio, on the 15th of December, 1859, Colonel Fisher 
had been united in marriage to Miss Sallie M. Dunham, who died September 
25, i860, and on the nth of August, 1864, he was again married, his second 
union being with Miss Martha I. Hetich, of Crawford county, Ohio, by whom 
he had three children — Cyrus, John and Sallie, but the second is now 
deceased. 

In March, 1865, accompanied by his wife. Colonel Fisher removed to 
Oskaloosa, Iowa, and purchased the Oskaloosa Herald, of which he was pro- 
prietor and editor-in-chief until February, 1868. During his residence in 
Bellefontaine, Ohio, he had studied law under the instruction of the Hon. 
Benjamin Stanton, who was for a number of years the member of congress 
from that district. In July, 1864, Colonel Fisher was admitted to the bar 
by the supreme court of Ohio, and after selling the Herald in 1868 he opened 
a law office in Oskaloosa, Iowa, but threatened pulmonary troubles com- 
pelled him to seek the dryer climate of the Rocky mountains. 

Having been tendered the position of superintendent, general freight and 
ticket agent of the Denver Pacific Railroad, he accepted the appointment in 
November, 1869, being the first to hold those offices, on any railroad in Colo- 
rado. He acted in those capacities until the road was purchased by the Kan- 
sas Pacific Railway in 1873. In the summer of 1870 the Kansas Pacific 
Railroad was completed to Denver and he was tendered the position of super- 
intendent of the Denver division, which he accepted in September of that 
year, thus serving until July 15, 1878. He was also superintendent of the 
Colorado Central Railway for a few months until Mr. Loveland again assumed 
control of the road in 1875. In the summer of 1878 he was made superin- 
tendent of the mountain division of the Union Pacific Railway, and assumed 
the duties of that office on the 15th of July, remaining there until February 
7, 1879, when he resigned to accept the position of general superintendent of 
the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railway, of which he was also chosen a 
director and second vice-president in January, 1880. Upon the purchase of 
the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad by the Union Pacific he left that 
employ in September, 1882, and became general manager of the Xew Orleans 
& Denver Railroad Company, of which he was elected president and general 
manager in 1883. In 1884-5 ne was lessee and general manager of this road, 
but resigned in March, 1886, to acept the position of general manager of the 
Rock Island lines west of the Missouri river, a position which he held until 
1888, building and putting into operation thirteen hundred miles of railroad 
during that time. 



32 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Colonel Fisher's wife, a sufferer from rheumatism, died at Hot Springs, 
Arkansas, in 1888, and the Colonel then resigned his position and spent six 
months traveling in Europe, after which he returned to Denver. In 1889 he 
brought his children to Bucyrus, where he established a home for them. In 
1891 he married Airs. Alary D. Beer, and has since continued his residence 
in Bucyrus. 

In politics Colonel Fisher has ever been a stalwart Republican, and has 
done much active service in behalf of the Grand Old Party. In the cam- 
paign of 1896 he effectively supported William McKinley, who was his 
comrade in the Civil war, and in order to lessen the silver "craze" in Colo- 
rado he went to that state to do service for the party of sound money doctrine. 
While he was in Denver the Denver, Cripple Creek & Southwestern Railroad 
Company was organized, and Colonel Fisher was elected president of the 
company, acting in that capacity for two years, when the road was sold 
to the Colorado Southern. The Colonel has been identified with the Masonic 
fraternity since 1857, and is now a thirty-second-degree Mason. He is the 
present commander of the Grand Army post at Bucyrus, and is also identified 
with the Knights of Pythias lodge. His has been a very active and useful 
career, in which he has advanced steadily to positions of importance and 
responsibility. His prosperity has resulted entirely from his own efforts, and 
his promotions have come to him in recognition of his worth and merit. 
He is widely known in railroad circles throughout the country, and his repu- 
tation in business circles is above reproach, while in social life he is known 
as a genial, courteous gentleman who enjoys the warm regard of many friends. 



JUDGE JAMES C. TOBIAS. 

Judge James C. Tobias was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, on 
the nth of November, 1856, a son of William B. and Catherine (Mills) 
Tobias. The father was born near Carlisle, Cumberland county, Pennsyl- 
vania, October 1, 181 5, and was a son of Benjamin and Sarah (Clause) 
Tobias. William B. Tobias resided on a farm until he was fifteen years of 
age, receiving but three months' schooling, and that at a night school. He 
then went to Carlisle, where he was apprenticed to a cabinet-maker to learn the 
trade, serving four and a half years. Then, after working about six months as 
a journeyman, he went to Greencastle, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, about 
the year 1836, there opening a shop, and worked at his trade for about three 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 33 

years. His health failing, he closed his shop and took up farming- in Franklin 
county, Pennsylvania, farming and residing in that county until 1864, when 
he came to Crawford county and settled in Liberty township, removing to 
Holmes township some four years later. In the latter township he continued 
his residence until 1877. when he sold his farm and removed to Bucyrus, where 
he spent the remainder of his life in retirement from active business affairs. 
He died in Bucyrus. in 1882. at the age of sixty-seven years. In 1841 he mar- 
ried Catherine Mills, a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania. She is now. 
in 1 901, residing in Bucyrus, and is eighty-four years of age. She bore her 
husband the following children who reached mature years: William F.. Jane 
('., Elizabeth. John L., James C. and Daniel M. 

William B. Tobias was dependent upon his own resources from an early 
age, but by energy and industry he prospered and gained a good estate. When 
the Civil war broke out he was residing four miles from the Maryland state 
line, and the army of General Robert E. Lee marched through his farm. 
destroying much of his property, while the state militia destroyed his stock 
without scruples, taking all but six of his horses. At that time his son. 
James C, the subject of this biography, was a mere lad, and when the Union 
army encamped on the Tobias and adjoining farms to that of his father, the lad 
visited the soldiers' camp, where he was permitted to go in and out with free- 
dom, as he was also permitted to do when a part of General Lee's army camped 
in the same vicinity. But the boy was soon to be taken from the scenes of his 
birthplace and that of warfare, for in 1864, when James was eight years of age, 
his father resolved to remove with his family to Crawford county. His youth 
was spent upon the farm and his preliminary education was acquired in the 
common schools. He was afterward sent to Cold Run Academy, and in the 
spring of 1872 entered Oberlin College, where he studied until the following 
September, when he entered Mount Union College, remaining there three 
years. He thus acquired a broad literary education to serve as a foundation 
upon which to rear the superstructure of professional knowledge. During 
the period of his college days he taught school during" the winters, and all his 
vacations he labored upon the farm earning money to assist in paying col- 
legiate expenses. 

Predilection led him to prepare for the profession of law, and in the fall 
of 1876 he became a student of law in the office of Finley & Swigart, well 
known attorneys of Bucyrus. He was admitted to the bar at Delaware, 
Ohio, July 2, 1878, at the age of twenty-one, and immediately afterward began 



34 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the practice of law in Bucyrus, soon winning a fair share of the public patron- 
age. Important litigated interests were entrusted to him and he soon demon- 
strated his ability to successfully handle the intricate problems of jurispru- 
dence. In 1 88 1 he entered into partnership with F. S. Monnett, ex-attorney 
general of Ohio, under the firm name of Tobias & Monnett, their relationship 
being maintained until 1888, when Mr. Tobias was elected probate judge of 
Crawford county, a position he continuously filled until 1894. In 1896 he was 
elected judge of the court of common pleas for the district comprising Craw- 
ford, Marion and Wyandot counties, and is the present incumbent, his term 
continuing over a period of five years and re-elected in 1901, without opposi- 
tion, for a second term. His decisions have been conspicuously fair and im- 
partial and based upon a thorough understanding of the law. 

In 1879 the Judge was united in marriage to Miss Amina J. Monnett, a 
daughter of Abraham Monnett, elsewhere mentioned in this volume, and they 
now have two children, Deane A., who is now a student in the Ohio State 
University, at Columbus, and Helen, who is pursuing her education in the 
Bucyrus high school. The Judge has always given his political support to the 
Democratic party and is unswerving in his advocacy of its principles. The 
cause of education has ever found in him a warm friend, and for fifteen years 
he efficiently served as a member of the school board, acting as its president 
during the last ten years of his incumbency. He did much to promote the 
interests of the schools, his labor proving of great benefit along the lines of 
intellectual advancement. The Judge has been identified with the financial 
interests of the city as well as with the practice of law, and was one of the 
organizers of the City Bank of Bucyrus, in which he served as vice-president 
for ten years and director for eighteen years. Socially he is connected with 
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and with the Knights of Pythias 
fraternities, serving as past chancellor in the lodge of the latter organization. 
He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which 
he is one of the trustees. Endowed by nature with high intellectual qualities, 
to which have been added the discipline and embellishments of culture, his is a 
most attractive personality. Well versed in the learning of his profession and 
with a deep knowledge of human nature and of the springs of human conduct, 
he is in the courts an advocate of great power and influence and on the bench is 
a judge who ever commands the respect of the lawyers and of the public by 
reason of his dignitv in office and extreme fairness in decision. 



CEXTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 35 

J. C. FREMONT HULL. 

The superior business ability of Mr. Hull has been an integral factor in 
the commercial activity whereon has rested much of the prosperity of Craw- 
ford count v. The world judges the character of a community by those of 
its representative citizens, and yields its tribute of admiration and respect 
for the ability and accomplishments of those whose works and actions con- 
stitute the record of a state's prosperity and pride. Therefore it is proper 
that a just celebrity should be given to those men who are prominent m 
their day and generation that the living may enjoy the approbation of their 
contemporaries as well as that of a grateful posterity. 

J. C. F. Hull is one of the leading and progressive business men of 
Bucyrus, where he is occupying the important position of cashier in the Sec- 
ond National Bank. He was born in Morrow county, Ohio, in 1861, and is 
a son of the late George W. Hull, who was born in Delaware county, Ohio, 
July 21, 1824. his parents being Benjamin and Elizabeth (Smith) Hull. 
Benjamin Hull came to Ohio from New Jersey. In 1828 the family removed 
to Whetstone township, Crawford county, locating upon a farm, and there 
George W. Hull was reared to manhood. In 1844 he was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Attie Scribner. of Marion county, a daughter of Samuel and 
Elmira (Clark) Scribner. The Scribners were New Hampshire people, and 
the maternal grandfather of our subject was a soldier in the war of 1812. 
In an earlv dav he engaged extensively in dealing in stock, which he drove 
over the mountains to the east. His death occurred when he had attained 
the very advanced age of ninety-six years. His wife's people lived and 
died in Marion county, Ohio. In 1855 George W. Hull removed with his 
family to Morrow county, locating near Cardington. He was an energetic 
and wide-awake business man, made judicious investments in real estate and 
at one time was the owner of over fifteen hundred acres of land in Crawford, 
Morrow and Wyandot counties. In ante-bellum days he was a stanch abo- 
litionist, and was one of the promoters of the "underground railroad, 
whereby mam- negro slaves were assisted on their way to Canada, where 
they could enjoy freedom without fear of being returned to their former 
masters. His earnest Christian life was in harmony with his belief as a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he served both as steward 
and class leader, and was also prominent and influential in public affairs, 
having served as county commissioner in Morrow county for one term, while 
for twelve years he capably filled the office of justice of the peace. In 1877 



36 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

he came to Bucyrus and assisted in organizing the Crawford County Bank, 
in which enterprise he was associated with Abram Monnett. who was made 
president, while Mr. Hull became vice-president, and his son, Lewis W. Hull, 
cashier. These gentlemen, together with L. B. Harris, of Upper Sandusky, 
and E. Blair, of Bucyrus. constituted the board of directors. The bank was 
opened for business January i, 1878, and Mr. Hull was connected therewith 
until his death, which occurred in 1891. when he was sixty-eight years of 
age. He became .president of the institution on the death of Mr. Monnett, 
and remained at its head until a short time prior to his own demise, when he 
retired, Mr. Blair becoming his successor. In 1885 the bank was reorganized 
and chartered under the name of the Second National Bank of Bucyrus. 
Mr. Hull took a very active interest in many important concerns contributing 
to the suhstantial development and material progress of Bucyrus, and in his 
death the town lost one of its most valued and honored citizens. He was a 
gentleman of keen discernment and sound judgment in business affairs, and 
his advice was valued very highly in commercial circles. His wife, surviv- 
ing him about two years, passed away in 1893, at the age of sixty-eight years. 
Their eldest son, J. G. Hull, is the cashier of the Farmers National Bank at 
Findlay, Ohio, a position which he has occupied since 1880. Lewis W., 
another son, was the first cashier of the Crawford County Bank, now the 
Second National Bank of Bucyrus, and at present he resides in Upper San- 
dusky. Ohio. There are also two sisters in the family, Mrs. Olive A. Mon- 
nett, wife of Mervin J. Monnett, of Central City, Nebraska; J. C. F., our 
subject; and Adell, wife of Ed D. Wolfe, who is general freight agent at 
Dallas, Texas, for the Queen & Crescent Railroad Company. 

J. C. F. Hull, the immediate subject of this article, spent the first six- 
teen years of his life in his native county, much of that time being devoted 
to the mastery of the branches of study forming the curriculum of the public 
schools near his home. In 1877 he accompanied his parents to Bucyrus, and 
in 1879 entered the bank as collector. He closely applied himself to the work 
given to his charge, and from time to time was promoted, becoming cashier 
on the 1st of January, 1885, a position which he has occupied continuously 
since. Previously his father had established the Farmers' National Bank at 
Findlay, Ohio, and our subject went to that place in 1880 and acted as 
assistant cashier for three years, and was then cashier of the First National 
Bank of Fostoria, Ohio, a bank he assisted in organizing, securing its charter. 
In this bank his father was also a stockholder. He resigned the position of 
cashier of this bank to become the cashier of the Second National Bank of 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 37 

Bucyrus. He is still a stockholder in the Farmers' National Bank of Findlay. 
Mr.' Hull is thoroughly conversant with banking business in every detail and 
possesses excellent executive ability, keen discrimination and reliable judgment. 
These are qualities which are absolutely essential to the successful conduct 
of banking institutions, and his ability and labors have been a potent factor 
in securing the prosperous business which the Second National Bank has 
enjoyed. His labors have not been confined to one line, for he is president 
of the Bucyrus Board of Trade, and treasurer and general manager of the 
Bucyrus Telephone Company. He has acted as trustee for an unusually large 
number of estates'in Crawford county, each of which he has settled up satis- 
factorily to all concerned. He has also dealt quite extensively in real estate, 
and is the owner of valuable property in Bucyrus. including a handsome resi- 
dence in the city. 

In Republican circles Mr. Hull is also recognized as a leader, and since 
April, 1900, he has represented the third ward of Bucyrus in the city council, 
being elected to that position in a Democratic ward, which fact indicates his 
personal popularity and the trust reposed in him by those who know him 
best. He is treasurer of the Crawford county Republican central committee, 
and on a number of occasions he has served as a delegate to the state con- 
ventions of his party. Socially he is connected with the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias fraternity and the Benevolent and 
Protective Order of Elks, and in the first named he has passed all of the 
chairs. He holds membership in the First Methodist Episcopal church of 
Bucyrus, and during the past ten years he has served as its trustee and treas- 
urer. His business career is above reproach. He has met every obligation 
most fully and honorably, is courteous and fair with his patrons and his 
reliability commends him to their confidence and good will. 

AUGUST BROEMEL. 

August Broemel is the editor and proprietor of the Bucyrus Courier, 
the German weekly paper of the county, and is a well known factor in journal- 
istic circles. He is also regarded as one of the reliable and enterprising citi- 
zens of the community, whose active co-operation in the movements for the 
general good is both practical and profitable. As his name indicates. Mr. 
Broemel is a native son of the fatherland, his birth having occurred at 
Stadt Ilm, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Germany. He pursued his education in 
the public schools of his native land and also in an academy where special 



38 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

training was given after the manner of that received in Armour Institute, 
of Chicago, pupils being fitted for various lines of business life. He was 
nineteen years of age when he bade adieu to home and friends and crossed 
the Atlantic to America. In 1872 he purchased the Bucyrus Courier, which 
he has since published. This is a German weekly newspaper, which was estab- 
lished in 1874. For a short time Mr. Broemel was associated with a part- 
ner, but during the greater part of the period in which he has published the 
paper he has been alone in business. It has a large circulation among the 
German speaking people of this portion of the state and exercises a wide-felt 
influence in public affairs. Mr. Broemel is deeply interested in everything 
pertaining to the welfare and support of measures for the public good through 
the columns of the Courier, and at the same time advances the interest of 
the Democratic party. 

In Bucyrus occurred the marriage of Mr. Broemel and Miss Emma 
Liebich, a native of Bucyrus. In 1896 he was elected a member of the city 
council and by re-election has been continued in the office since that time. 
He is a member of the German Lutheran church and is found as a champion 
of educational, material and moral interests. 

WILLIAM C. KIESS. 

The subject of this review is a self-made man who, without any extraor- 
dinary family or pecuniary advantages at the commencement of his career, 
has battled earnestly and energetically, and by indomitable courage and integ- 
rity has achieved both character and fortune. By sheer force of will and 
untiring effort he has worked his wav upward and is numbered among the 
leading citizens of Crawford county, where he is now occupying the position 
of judge of the probate court, having entered upon the duties of his office 
on the gth of February, 1900. His public service has demonstrated that 
the trust reposed in him is fully merited, and his name is now found on the 
record of reliable and capable officials in this section of Ohio. 

Mr. Kiess was born on a farm in Whetstone township, in 1857, and is 
a son of Jacob and Catherine (Delker) Kiess. His paternal grandfather, 
Christopher Kiess, was a native of Germany, received excellent educational 
privileges and became a successful teacher in his native land. Crossing 
the Atlantic to' America, he followed the profession of teaching for twenty 
years in Pennsylvania. Jacob Kiess, the father of our subject, was born in 
Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, and after arriving at years of maturity 



CEXTEXXIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 41 

wedded Catherine Delker. whose birth occurred in Germany, and who came 
to the United States when a maiden of fifteen summers. In the year 1850 
they removed to Crawford county, locating upon a farm, which the father 
owned and opeiated until his death, which occurred in 1882, when he was 
seventy-one years of age. His wife passed away in 1885, at the age of sixty- 
nine years. They were people of the highest respectability, enjoying the 
esteem and good will of all with whom they came in contact. Of their family, 
four sons and a daughter are living, namely : William Christopher, of this 
review; Jonathan H., Simeon and Joseph H., all of whom are successfully 
following farming in Whetstone township; and Mrs. M. A. Butts, of Hia- 
watha, Kansas. Two sons, Daniel and Samuel, and two daughters, Lydia 
and May Margaret, are deceased. 

Born upon his father's farm, William Christopher Kiess was there reared 
and earl}- took his place in the fields to assist in the work of plowing, planting 
and harvesting. In the public schools he acquired his elementary education, 
which was supplemented by study in the Ada Normal University in the year 
1887-8. Subsequently he became identified with educational work, and for 
seven years was known as a competent instructor in the schools of Whetstone 
township. His fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, then 
called him to public office, and for four years he served as clerk of the town- 
ship, and was also land appraiser there. In the fall of 1899 he was elected 
to the office of probate judge of Crawford county and entered upon his duties 
February 9, 1900, for a three years' term, so that he is the present incumbent. 
He is extremely faithful, prompt and reliable in performing the labors that 
devolve upon him, and is making a most creditable record. 

Mr. Kiess was united in marriage, in 1879, to Miss Sarah E. Wagner, 
a daughter of John and Mary Wagner, of W r hetstone township, who came to 
Crawford county from Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, about the year 1852. 
Both have now passed away, the father dying at the age of sixty-four years, 
the mother being called to her final rest when sixty-nine years of age. The 
marriage of the Judge and Mrs. Kiess has been blessed with two children, — ■ 
Thomas Clinton, who is now seventeen years of age and is a student in the 
high school, and Bessie Belle, who is also pursuing her studies in the schools 
of Bucyrus. In his political affiliations the Judge has ever been a Democrat, 
and keeps well informed on the issues of the day, politically and otherwise. 
His religious views are indicated by his membership in the Evangelical church. 
On the 15th of March. 1900. he removed his family to Bucyrus, where they 
now occupy a pleasant home, which is celebrated for its gracious hospitality. 



42 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

In the county which has been his home throughout his entire life Judge Kiess 
has made many warm friends, owing" to his possession of those sterling traits 
of character which ever} where command admiration and respect. 

EMANUEL R. BIRK. 

Emanuel R. Birk is one of the prominent business men of Bucyrus, where 
he is engaged in the manufacture and sale of harness and saddlery. A coun- 
try has but one chief ruler, be he king, emperor or president. Comparatively 
few men can attain to the highest office in civil or military life, but com- 
merce offers a broad and almost limitless field in which one may exercise his 
powers unrestrained and gain leadership at the head of a chosen calling. 
Drawing the lessons which we do from the life of Mr. Birk, we learn that 
the qualifications necessary for success are a high ambition and a resolute, 
honorable purpose to reach an exalted standard that has been set up. 

One of the native sons of Bucyrus, he was born July 25, 1866, unto 
the marriage of John G. and Johanna B. (Kuhn) Birk. His father was a 
native of Wurtemberg, Germany, born July 22, 1823. In accordance with 
tlie laws of his native country he attended school until fourteen years of age, 
and then began learning the harnessmaker's trade, which he mastered both 
in principle and detail. Believing that the new world offered better oppor- 
tunities for advancement than the older and more thickly settled countries 
of Europe, he determined to cross the Atlantic, and in 1845 sailed for New 
York. In 1847 ne came to Bucyrus and three years later established a harness 
shop on his own account, beginning the business which is now carried on by 
his son, our subject. In 185 1 he married Miss Johanna B. Kuhn, of Whet- 
stone township, Crawford county, though born in Germany, and unto them 
were born four sons and one daughter,— Christian F., who is now mayor of 
Bucyrus; Lewis C; foreman of the harness shop; Emanuel R., of this review; 
George M., who is conducting a drug store in Bucyrus; and Elizabeth, wife 
of F. P. Donnenwirth, of Bucyrus. The father was the treasurer of Craw- 
ford county from 1874 to 1876. His death occurred November 10, 1888. 
Emanuel R. Birk spent his youth in the usual manner of lads in the 
ordinary walks of life and enjoyed the pleasures of the playground and gave 
considerable time to the duties of the schoolroom. After putting aside his 
text-books he began learning the harnessmaker's trade of his father in 1882. 
He worked with him until the latter' s death, in 1888, when he succeeded to 
the business, which he has since carried on. He now enjoys a large and 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 43 

growing trade, which covers Crawford county and northeastern Ohio. The 
business has more than doubled under the management of Mr. Birk. He 
carries on a retail trade and also manufactures harness and saddlery, and the 
excellent quality of his goods, combined with his honorable business methods, 
reasonable prices and earnest desire to please, has secured to him gratify- 
ing prosperity. 

On the 25th of October, 1892, Mr. Birk was joined in wedlock to Miss 
Melinda L. Vollrath, a daughter of Albert Vollrath, who for a number of 
years conducted a planing-mill in Bucyrus, but is now living a retired life. 
He is a native of Stadtilm, Germany, born January 31, 1830, and is a son 
of Gottlieb R. Vollrath, who was born in the same place September 29, 1804. 
There the grandfather acquired his education and married Frederike Meissner. 
After coming to Bucyrus he carried on the cabinet-making business, being one 
of the leading representatives of industrial concerns in this part of the state. 
He was highly respected as a reliable business man and public-spirited citi- 
zen. His son, Albert Vollrath, acquired his education in the schools of the 
fatherland, and when twenty-one years of age came to Bucyrus, in companv 
with his parents, his two brothers, Charles and William, and his sisters, 
Mrs. Christian Renkert and Mrs. Frank Blicke. Mr. Vollrath entered upon 
his business career in Bucyrus as a contractor and builder, and in 1852 he 
became a partner in the planing-mill, which he conducted up to me time of 
his retirement from active business life. Mr. Birk is identified with two 
fraternities, the Masonic and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. 
He attends the German Lutheran church, and as a citizen he co-operates in 
all movements for the general good, withholding his support from no measure 
which he believes will advance the public welfare. 

JOHN C. SHERER. 

John C. Sherer, than whom there was no citizen more widely or favorably 
known in Whetstone township, Crawford county, was born in Stark county, 
Ohio, in 1830 and was the eldest son of Adam Sherer, one of the pioneers 
of that count}', where he was known as a public-spirited and progressive 
citizen and one who exerted considerable influence in political affairs, his 
opinions carrying weight in the councils of his party, while his labors con- 
tributed in no immaterial way to its success. 

John C. Sherer was his father's chief assistant after the removal of the 
family to Whetstone township, Crawford county. His educational advantages 



44 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

were only those afforded by the common district schools, but reading, observa- 
tion and experience constantly broadened his fund of knowledge and he 
became a well informed man, being recognized throughout the county as a 
gentleman of more than ordinary intellectual strength. He always followed 
agricultural pursuits and developed an excellent farm, to which he added all 
the modern accessories and improvements. Neatness and thrift character- 
ized his place, and the practical yet progressive methods which characterized 
his work contributed to his prosperity. 

Mr. Sherer was united in marriage to Miss Catharine Helfrich. a daughter 
of Peter Helfrich, one of the leading farmers of the county, and they made 
their home about four miles west of Galion, where they owned a nice prop- 
ertv. Thev became the parents of six children : Jenny M. ; William ; May 
S. ; Harry W., who is now located in Columbus; Willard A., of Toledo; and 
John A., who is principal of the East End schools of Galion. Four of these 
children, together with their mother, still survive the husband and father, 
and Airs. Sherer and her son still reside upon the farm. 

In his political views Air. Sherer was a Republican, and on account of 
the minority of the party in the county he was not so- prominent in political 
affairs as he otherwise would have been. He was abundantly qualified for 
office, and in a quiet way he did much to promote the welfare and progress 
of the community. He enjoyed the friendship and regard of all with whom 
he came in contact, irrespective of political or religious belief, and his death, 
which occurred in 1879, was sincerely mourned by the general public. 

CHARLES KINNINGER. 

The subject of this review is one of the best known and most active 
workers in the ranks of the Democratic party in Crawford county, and has 
rendered most effective service in the party cause. But recently his second 
team as probate judge of the county closed. In this office he acted as deputy 
previous to his election to the office for a period of six years, and then having 
been elected twice to the position he served as the incumbent six years, and 
is now holding a clerical position in the same office. As a man of splendid 
character and much ability he has been conspicuous in public affairs, and has 
made a record which commends him to the public confidence and assures him 
the esteem of the community. 

Judge Kinninger is numbered among- the native sons of Crawford county, 
his birth having occurred at Sulphur Springs, in Liberty township, July 22, 




/&K(asJM( Ji, 



I f 



C/uyy^yyyl^ 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 47 

1853. His parents, John and Caroline (Schindler) Kinninger, were both 
natives of Germany, and took up their abode in Liberty township, Crawford 
county, many years ago. They resided in Sulphur Springs, where the father 
followed wagon-making. He was a hale and hearty man at the age of ninety- 
two years, at which time, in 1881, he met with an accident which resulted in 
his death. His wife passed away in 1879, when seventy-two years of age. 
She was twice married, Mr. Kinninger being her second husband. By her 
first husband. Christian Sexauer, she had four children: William F., Chris- 
tian, Frederick and Lewis, all of whom are now deceased. By the second 
marriage there were also- four children : Caroline, who has passed away : 
Rosa, wife of W. D. Mewhort, of Sulphur Springs; John, deceased; and 
Charles. 

The father was not in very affluent circumstances and therefore could 
not give his children more than a common-school education, hence our sub- 
ject received only such advantages of mental discipline as he could obtain in 
the village schools of his native town. He learned the trade of carriage 
painting in the carriage factory of his half-brother's at Sulpher Springs, con- 1 
ducted under the name of the Sexauer Carriage Works. He eventually 
became superintendent of the factory, for, although he began work in the 
humble capacity mentioned, he was advanced through various positions as he 
demonstrated his ability to perform the work entrusted to him. In early 
life much responsibility devolved upon him in connection with the support of 
his parents. He was employed in the factory until he was made deputy 
probate judge, but his first public service was in the capacity of clerk of 
Liberty township, in which he has served for several years. In 1888 he became 
deputy probate judge under Judge J. C. Tobias, and he made a splendid 
record, continuing- in that position for six years, when in 1893 he was elected 
probate judge and entered upon his duties in 1894. He was re-elected in 
1896 and served as probate judge through six consecutive years, retiring 
from the office on the 9th of February, 1900, as he had entered it — with the 
confidence and good will of the public. On that occasion the members of the 
bar presented him with a fine silver tea and water set, — a compliment to his 
efficiency in office and an expression of their friendly and high regard for 
him as a man and citizen. He has always taken a very active interest in 
political affairs as a worker in Democratic ranks, has served as a member 
of the county central committee, and for three years was a member ui the 
county executive committee. 

In Liberty township Judge Kinninger was united in marriage to Miss 
3 



4 8 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Alice Bickley, a daughter of Joseph Bickley, of Sandusky, Ohio, and their 
living children are Emma E., George E., Edna M. and Grace Alice. Their 
first born, Harry \\\. died at the age of seventeen years. The son George E. 
enlisted in 1896 as a member of Company A, Eighth Ohio National Guard, 
and at the time of the Spanish-American war he volunteered with his regi- 
ment in the United States service, in which he was mustered in as a corpora!. 
Idie command was sent to Cuba and participated in active service there, 
being present at the surrender of Santiago. He recently received an hon- 
orable discharge from the company after five years' connection therewith. 
The family now reside upon a fine farm two miles south of Bucyrus, in 
Bucyrus township, where the Judge owns one hundred acres of land. He 
is successfullv carrying on stock-raising, and the fine grades of cattle which 
he raises enables him to command a ready sale on the market. In whatever 
work he undertakes he is energetic and industrious, and thus he has advanced 
to a position among the affluent citizens of Crawford county. He belongs 
to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Honor, 
of Bucyrus, and is also a member of the German Lutheran church. The 
cause of education has ever found in him a warm friend, and while residing 
in Bucyrus he served for several years as a member of the city school board. 
During' his residence at Sulphur Springs he was the leader of one of the 
best bands in the county, and his love of music is one of his salient character- 
istics and is a source of pleasure not only to himself but also to his many 
friends, enabling him to become an active factor in entertainment and social 
circles. 

JOHN A. SHERER. 

Professor John A. Sherer, principal of the East End schools of Galion, 
is one of the most competent and successful educators in this portion of Ohio, 
a man of strong mentality, whose careful preparation has well qualified him 
for his work and who has a just comprehension of the importance of the 
duties devolving upon him. 

Professor Sherer was born on a farm a few miles northwest of Galion 
and is of ancestry well known in Crawford and adjoining counties. His 
lather, John C. Sherer. is mentioned on another page of this volume. His 
mother belonged to the distinguished and numerous Helfrich family, so 
-civ allied with the history of this locality. Mr. Sherer was born in 1873, 
and in his early youth attended the district school near his home, while later 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 49 

he enjoyed the privilege of a course in the Ohio Wesleyan University at 
Delaware. On its completion he began teaching- and had charge of a number 
of schools in Crawford county through a period of ten years. His success 
in a general way attracted the attention of the school board of Galion and 
lie was called here to take charge of the East Side schools in 1900. The 
able manner in which he discharged his duties in that scholastic year recom- 
mended him for the position for the succeeding year, and through his two 
years' service he has won the highest commendation. 

In 1899 Professor Sherer was married to Miss Viola Kiess, the daughter 
of a prominent and well known family of Whetstone township. Professor 
Sherer is one of the county board of school examiners, and has the acquaint- 
ance and friendship of the majority of teachers in the county. He is also one 
cf the board of trustees of the Crawford County Historical Association, and 
his literary contributions to the history of Crawford county, in various news- 
paper articles, have attracted not only local attention but also that of the 
State Historical Association. 

At this point it would be almost tautological to enter into any series of 
statements as showing the Professor to be a man of broad intelligence and 
genuine public spirit, for these have been shadowed forth between the lines 
of this review. Strong in his individuality, he never lacks the courage of 
his convictions, but there are as dominating elements in this individuality a 
lively human sympathy and an abiding charity, which, taken in connection 
with the sterling integrity and honor of his character, have naturally gained 
to him the respect and confidence of men. 



CHARLES F. SCHABER. 

Charles F. Schaber is one of the younger representatives of the bar of 
Bucyrus, but those who are acquainted with him and are familiar with his 
ambitious and resolute spirit have no fear in predicting for him a successful 
future. Bucyrus may well be proud to claim him among her native sons. 
His birth occurred in this city July 30, 1873, his parents being John A. and 
Bertha W. (Margraff) Schaber. The paternal grandparents were John 
George and Fredrica Schaber, who with their family, consisting of John A. 
and Frederick, came to Crawford county in June, 1854. The last named died 
in Bucyrus several years ago. The father of our subject, after following 
the blacksmith's trade in Bucyrus for several years, took up his abode at 



50 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Sulphur Springs, where he established and conducted a dry-goods and grocery 
store. He subsequently became identified with the mercantile interests of 
Bucyrus, and in 1877 he became an active factor in official life, being elected 
in that year to the position of county sheriff, in which capacity he served for 
two terms. After his retirement from office he engaged in the insurance busi- 
ness until 1896, when he put aside all business cares and is now quietly rest- 
ing in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil. In his political views 
he is a Democrat, unswerving- in his advocacy of the principles of the party, 
and he and his family are members of the German Lutheran church. Charles 
F. Schaber is their only living son (one dying in childhood), but there is one 
daughter, Sophia M., who is a graduate of the high school and is now a 
successful teacher in the schools of this city. She is also a trustee of the 
Bucyrus Memorial Library and a member of several literary societies. 

Mr. Schaber has always been a resident of Bucyrus, and the public- 
school system of the city provided him with his educational privileges. In 
January, 1892, he became a clerk in the county probate office, under Judge J. 
C. Tobias, and later served through a period of six years as deputy probate 
judge, under Judge Charles Kinninger. His labors in that position proved 
to him an excellent training school in the line of law and probate work. He 
read law under the direction of the firm of Finley & Gallinger, of Bucyrus, 
and after mastering many of the principles of jurisprudence he successfully 
passed an examination and was admitted to the bar in December, 1900. He 
immediately opened an office, in partnership with W. J. Schwenck, with whom 
he has since been associated in the active practice of law, the firm meeting" 
with complimentary success, although they are the youngest members of the 
Bucyrus bar. Mr. Schaber is resolute and determined, and such qualities 
cannot fail to secure success. 

His labors were at one time interrupted by military service. In 1892 
he enlisted in the Eighth Ohio National Guard as a private, but was soon 
advanced to official positions. At the time of the Spanish-American war, in 
1898, he was mustered into the United States service as lieutenant and 
adjutant of the Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was also ordnance officer 
of the regiment. He was sent to Cuba with his command, which joined the 
Fifth Army Corps, participating in the battle of Santiago, and was present 
at the capitulation of that city. At length the regiment was recalled to the 
United States, and Mr. Schaber was honorably discharged from the service. 

Socially he is connected with the Benevolent and Protective Order of 
Elks, being the exalted ruler of Bucyrus Lodge, No. 156, also is connected 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 51 

with the Knights of Pythias and the Knights of the Maccabees. He is a 
young man of genial manner, unfailing courtesy and many sterling qualities, 
and is very popular in social circles. 



BENJAMIN SEARS. 

Richard Sears, the progenitor of the American branch of the Sears fam- 
ily, landed at Plymouth Rock in 1632. He and his descendants after him 
bore their share as pioneers in the subjugation and settlement of the new 
world and in those events which culminated in the independence of our 
nation. 

Benjamin Sears, the subject of our sketch, is descended on both sides 
from Revolutionary ancestry. His great-grandfather, Captain Elkanah 
Sears, was a conspicuous figure in Massachusetts during the Revolutionary 
war. He was distinguished for his activity in promoting the cause of free- 
dom, and was a member of the committee appointed to provide necessities 
for the Continental army. After the breaking out of hostilities he equipped 
a war vessel, which he commanded. Many personal anecdotes are related of 
him in family history and tradition, which illustrate his character as a man 
of great enterprise and courage. His son, Benjamin Sears, following the 
line of descent to the Crawford county family, was born at Chatham, Con- 
necticut, in 1 771, and removed thence to New Durham, New York. He 
filled with honor various military offices, and among the papers now in pos- 
sesion of the family is his commission as major, signed by Governor De Y\ itt 
Clinton. He became a minister in the Baptist church, and in that capacity 
distinguished himself by his zeal and fidelity. He felt much drawn toward 
mission work among the Indians, and in 182 1, in company with his two sons, 
John and Benjamin, all having received appointments as missionaries among 
the Indians, journeyed to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and established there the first 
Baptist church in that territory. While returning to his family in New 
York the next year, he was taken sick with fever at Delaware, Ohio, and 
died there October 11, 1822, much lamented as a man of energy and piety. 
He was buried in the old grave yard east of the college campus at Delaware, 
and a monument marked the last resting place of the pioneer missionary. 
Eighty years afterward, when the grave yard at Delaware was abandoned, 
the remains were removed to the family lot in Oak wood cemetery at Bucyrus, 
Ohio. Letters written by him in his last illness, now in possession of the 



52 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

family, show with what resignation, hope and courage he entered "the valley 
of the shadow." 

His oldest son, Elkanah Sears, the Crawford county pioneer, was born 
in Meredith, New York, in 1795, and died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. 
Aminda Nicholson, in East Rockport, Ohio, November 15, 1886, aged ninety- 
one years. His mother, whose maiden name was Ann Biglow, was a woman 
of remarkable character, and belonged to a family; members of which have 
attained national distinction. Elkanah Sears came to Crawford county in 
1836 with his family, consisting of a wife and four children, three sons and 
one daughter. He moved upon a farm two miles west of Bucyrus. For 
several years the family occupied a log cabin on the place, and afterward a 
two-story log house, which in the course of time was weather-boarded, and 
thus became, for that period, one of the most pretentious dwellings in the 
neighborhood. 

Elkanah Sears continued to live for many years on the farm where he 
originally settled, occupied with the duties of a pioneer farmer. His wife, 
whose maiden name was Desair Phelps, came of a distinguished family, and 
was a very superior woman. She proved herself an efficient helpmate and in 
those early days of limited school privileges she assisted in inculcating into 
the minds of her children that desire for knowledge and ambition for improve- 
ment to which, doubtless, much of their success in life is owing. These 
children, now all living, the eldest over eighty years of age and the youngest 
nearly seventy, venerate their mother long since gone to her reward. The 
eldest of the family, John Dudley Sears, is living a retired life at Upper 
Sandusky, Ohio. For more than half a century he practiced law. He was 
not only the acknowledged leader of the bar in his county, but by many was 
regarded as the best legal authority in this section of Ohio. He was equally 
successful in a business way, and in a green old age now enjoys, in the 
esteem of his fellow citizens, the rewards of a life well spent. 

Cyrus, the youngest son of Elkanah Sears, grew to manhood in Crawford 
county. He graduated at the Cincinnati Law School, and began the practice 
of law in Cincinnati, where he also lectured in the law school. When the 
war of the Rebellion broke out he entered the army, where he continued in 
service throughout the war, and greatly distinguished himself in many battles. 
He rose to the rank of colonel. For distinguished gallantry at the battle of 
Iuka he received a medal of honor from congress. After the close of the 
war he practiced law for a time at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, and later engaged 
in manufacturing and mercantile business, also in farming and real estate. 



CENTEX X I AL BIOGRAPHIC 'AL HISTORY. 53 

He now resides in Harpster, Wyandot county, Ohio, in which locality he has 
large real estate and other interests. He married a daughter of David 
Harpster, long known as the wool king of Ohio. 

The only daughter of Elkanah Sears, Mrs. Lewis Nicholson, is a widow 
living at Lake wood, Ohio. 

Benjamin Sears, the second son of Elkanah Sears, is the only member 
of the family who has made his permanent home in Crawford county. He 
continued to reside on the farm where his father settled until 1876. Since 
that time he has lived in Bucyrus. He was successful as a stock-raiser, 
fruit-grower and nurseryman, and in these pursuits laid the foundation for 
an estate now one of the most considerable in the county. He is largelv 
interested in real estate and in banking, and is a man of great business sagacity 
and judgment. He is quiet and unostentatious, simple in his habits and style 
of living, and although his early education was limited he has always been 
a great reader, and is one of the most widely informed and best-informed 
and best-read men in the community. On subjects in which he has taken a 
special interest, such as horticulture and botany, he is recognized as one of 
the best local authorities. 

He has a family of seven children living, three sons and four daughters. 
His oldest daughter, Annie, who was for fourteen years a missionary in 
China, died in 1804. His oldest son, R. V. Sears, is a successful lawyer 
at Bucyrus. His. second son. Frank O. Sears, is a leading farmer and stock- 
man, residing with his family on the old family homestead, two miles west 
of Bucyrus. The third son, Hiram B., is unmarried, and was for some years 
in the newspaper business in Bucyrus. He is at present assisting his father 
in the management and care of his property. Of the daughters, who are all 
ladies of culture and education, the eldest, Alice, is living at home, and is an 
ornament in the literary and social life of the city. Minda P. is a graduate 
in medicine and a woman of superior ability. Bertha is a successful teacher 
in Cleveland ; and Ruby D., the youngest daughter, is married to* Mr. Otto 
Carpenter, a prominent insurance man of Cleveland, Ohio. 

RUFUS V. SEARS. 

Rufus V. Sears is the oldest son of Benjamin and Melissa (Minich) 
Sears. His mother is the granddaughter of a Revolutionary soldier and a 
descendant of one of the early settlers of Maryland. He was born at the 
old family homestead, two miles west of Bucyrus. After graduating at the 



54 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Bucyrus high school he followed farming- for several years, in the meantime 
pursuing the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in 1886. He imme- 
diately began the practice of law in Bucyrus. In 1888 he married Sallie J. 
Harris, the accomplished daughter of Hon. S. R. Harris, of Bucyrus. In 
1893 Mr. Sears formed a partnership with Mr. Harris, the leader of the 
Crawford county bar. The firm enjoys a large and lucrative practice, being 
retained in many cases of importance both in the state and federal courts. 

Air. Sears, while not personally ambitious in politics, has always been 
a Republican, and in 1894 was elected city solicitor of Bucyrus, by a large 
majority over his Democratic opponent, although the city was strongly Dem- 
ocratic. He has been as successful in business matters as in professional 
life, and is interested in various investments and enterprises, taking an active 
part in every movement for the benefit and prosperity of the city and com- 
munity. He is a director of the Bucyrus board of trade, a director in the 
First National Bank of Bucyrus, and president of the Buckeye Traction 
Company, now constructing several electric railway lines. 

Mr. Sears is the father of three sons: Paul Biglow, born December 17, 
1 89 1 ; Demas Lindley, February 6, 1894; and John Dudley, December 4, 1897. 

JULIUS J. BLISS. 

No compendium such as the province of this work defines in its essential 
limitations will serve to offer fit memorial to the. life and accomplishments 
of the honored subject of this sketch, who is numbered among the prominent 
educators of Ohio, and for six years has been superintendent of the public 
schools of Bucyrus and previous to this time was for more than a decade a 
successful teacher in Crawford county. 

Professor Bliss was born on a farm in Bainbridge township, Geauga 
county, Ohio, May 16, 1854, and traces his lineage back through many gen- 
erations to the founder of the family in America — Thomas Bliss, who came 
from Devonshire, England, in 1635, and was a member of the Plymouth 
colony. Representatives of the name were active and leading citizens of the 
communities in which they resided, and took an important part in shaping 
the events which go to form the colonial history and early annals of the 
Republic. Ephfaim Bliss, Sr., joined the Colonial army at the time of the 
war of the Revolution, serving as a member of the company commanded by 
Captain John Pain. His son, Ephraim Bliss, Jr., was a member of the com- 
pany commanded by Captain Israel Hix. He joined the service in 1775, 




S^SI-i loL^L^. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. $7 

and loyally aided in the cause of independence. His home was in Rehoboth, 
Massachusetts. His son, Benjamin Bliss, the great-grandfather of our sub- 
ject, was born in 1760, and when the yoke of British oppression became 
intolerable the same patriotic and liberty loving spirit which prompted his 
grandfather and his father were manifest in him and caused his enlistment 
as a member of the company commanded by Captain Sylvanus Martin. He 
lived to enjoy republican liberty for more than half a century, passing away 
in 1823. 

Otis B. Bliss, the grandfather of our subject, resided in Berkshire county, 
Massachusetts, at North Adams, in his early manhood, and thence came with 
the family to Ohio in 1833, locating in Bainbridge township, Geauga county, 
where he secured a tract of wild land. With characteristic energy he began 
its improvement, transforming it into a rich and fertile farm, upon which 
he resided until his death, which occurred in 1873, when he was sixty-five 
years of age. He married, in 1831, Julia Elma Maria Potter, a daughter 
of Olney and Mary (Richardson) Potter, of Gloucester, Rhode Island. Mrs. 
Bliss was born November 26, 1809. Her grandfather, James Potter, was 
also a Revolutionary hero, serving as lieutenant in a Rhode Island regiment 
under command of Colonel Christopher Smith. His father, Samuel Potter, 
was captain of a company in Colonel Dyer's regiment of Rhode Island troops. 
The celebrated divine. Bishop Potter, is also< a member of this family. Among 
the children of Otis B. and Julia E. M. (Potter) Bliss was Olney R. Bliss, 
the father of our subject. He, too, was born in Geauga county, in the year 
1833, and is still living at a ripe old age, his home being in Brookville, Kan- 
sas. His has been a useful, active and honorable career, and he is still well 
preserved. He married Mahala J. McFarland. a daughter of John Wesley 
McFarland, of Bainbridge township, Geauga county, and took up his abode 
in that county in 1816, emigrating Avestward from Berkshire county, Massa- 
chusetts. The McFarlands are of Scotch lineage, and the first members of 
the family in America, leaving the land of hills and heather in 17 19, took 
up their abode in what was then the Massachusetts colony. 

Professor Julius J. Bliss has spent his entire life in the Buckeye state. 
He acquired his education in the district schools of his native county, receiv- 
ing instruction from some very capable instructors from Xew England. At 
an early day he entered Hiram College, during the presidency of B. A. 
Hinsdale, a learned man who for some years was the leading professor of 
pedagogy west of the Alleghanies. There he frequently saw and heard that 
great teacher who afterward became the chief executive of the nation, James 



58 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

A. Garfield, and the spirit of the master found lodgment in the character of 
the pupil. However, wishing- a more complete course of study than Hiram 
College then afforded. Professor Bliss matriculated in Oberlin College, where 
he completed the full classical course and was graduated in 1881, with the 
degree of bachelor of arts. Five years later, in 1886, his alma mater con- 
ferred upon him the degree of master of arts. Throughout his entire busi- 
ness career he has been connected with the profession of teaching. For 
two and a hall years, from 1883 until 1885, he was one of the teachers in 
the high school of Bucyrus, and then went to Crestline as superintendent of 
the schools of that city, continuing- in charge through the succeeding decade. 
The schools there grew rapidly during his incumbency and marked improve- 
ment was seen in the methods of teaching- and in the work done in the schools. 
Fie not only kept abreast of the times in thought, but had the bravery to put 
that thought into practice. He carried forward his investigations along orig- 
inal lines, and introduced into the schools valuable methods of great utility. 
The School Journal, published in 1894, contained the following: 

"The receipt of the manual of the public schools of Crestline, Ohio, at 
this office led us to look up the Ohio boy who could plan so rich, though so 
logical, a course of study. Here, it seemed to us, was planned work of a 
really practical nature, and yet in harmony with the best thought of the 'new 
education.' Investigation showed that the theory was fully wrought out in 
the schoolroom, and that under his direction an able corps of teachers are 
securing results superior to those in many much larger places. The high 
school courses are unique and most admirable. We have never seen the 
work of a high school better arranged. It is simple, yet rich and complete. 

"Our long experience in teaching and superintending enables us to judge 
these matters, and we unhesitatingly pronounce Professor Bliss one of the 
most level-headed and progressive of such superintendents." 

In the year 1895 Professor Bliss was called to the superintendence of the 
public schools of Bucyrus and has since remained in charge, his services giv- 
ing excellent satisfaction. It is well known to all what great progress has 
been made in the methods of education and that the attendance of the schools 
has "greatly increased. There are three school buildings in the city, with 
twenty-eight teachers, and in 1900 the membership was twelve hundred and 
seventy-two pupils, which has increased to more than thirteen hundred in 
the present year, 1901. During the incumbency of Professor Bliss the increase 
in attendance at the high school has been more than one hundred per cent, 
and the institution is of such a high character that its graduates are prepared 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 59 

to enter college without further mental training. There are now one hundred 
and fifty students in the high school department. The number of courses 
of study have been increased and improved and an elective system has been 
added, which has proved very profitable and popular, enabling the scholars 
to pursue such courses of study as they believe will be of most benefit to them 
in later years. The influence of his work cannot be estimated, but will 
prove of lasting benefit to all who have come under his instruction. He 
is continually seeking to promote advancement, and labors with and for his 
teachers that the results attained may be of the highest practical benefit. In 
many instances he has made individual study of his pupils, realizing that 
their needs are as varied as are their characters. Professor Bliss is the 
possessor of the highest grade state teacher's certificate, and his fame as an 
instructor is not limited by the confines of Crawford county, for he is known 
throughout the state in educational circles as one whose ability is of superior 
order. He is a graduate of the Ohio State Teachers' Reading Circle, of the 
Chautauqua literary and scientific course, and has taken the Prang course in 
form study and drawing. 

In 1886 Professor Bliss was united in marriage to Miss Ella May Fuhr- 
man, of Bucyrus. a daughter of Thomas and Adeline (Kirby) Fuhrman and 
the foster daughter of George Donnenwirth, the president of the Bucyrus 
City Bank. Their marriage has been blessed with two children, — Marion 
George and Mary Mahala. Mrs. Bliss is a lady of superior culture and 
refinement, and intellectual activity make her a leader in society in Bucyrus.. 
She, too, pursued the Chautauqua course. The Professor holds member- 
ship in the Congregational church and his wife in the Presbyterian church, 
and socially he is connected with the Knights of Pythias fraternity. 

GEORGE W. MILLER. 

As a representative of an honored pioneer family, of the educational 
interests of Crawford county and now of the insurance business, George W. 
Miller is widely and favorably known throughout this section of the state. 
He has attained to an enviable position in the business world entirely through 
his own unaided efforts. Faithfulness to duty and strict adherence to a fixed 
purpose in life will do more to advance a man's interests than wealth or 
advantageous circumstances. The successful men of the day are they who 
have planned their own advancement and have accomplished it in spite of 
many obstacles and with a certainty that could have been attained only through 



60 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

their personal efforts. It has been along such lines that George W. Miller 
has won and maintained a creditable position in business circles in his native 
county, where he is now occupying the position of secretary of the Crawford 
Count}' Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company and of the Crawford County 
Agricultural Society. 

He was born in Todd township in 1859, a son of John D. and Mary 
(Kahl) Miller. The father came to Ohio with his parents in 1837 anc ^ 
located in Richland county. He was born in Cumberland county, Pennsyl- 
vania, in 181 3, and his parents, George M. and Cartherine (Rex) Miller, 
were also natives of the Keystone state. Having arived at years of maturity, 
in 1840 John D. Miller married Miss Mary Deal, and their union was blessed 
with five children, three of whom are yet living: Nathaniel M., living in 
California; Annias D., a resident of Wyandot county, Ohio; and William A., 
of Seneca county, this state. Andrew J. died in 1901, in California; and a 
daughter died in childhood. Annias D. and William A. served through the 
Civil war as defenders of the Union. The mother of these children died in 
1852. and in 1855 Mr. Miller wedded Mrs. Mary Barga. a widow who had 
two children, Albert and Lovina. She was the daughter of Henry and Susan 
(Rank) Kahl, who emigrated to Richland county, Ohio, from Pennsylvania, 
at an early date. The subject of this review is the only child born unto this 
marriage. His father came to Crawford county in 1852 and located on a 
farm just north of Oceola, where both he and his wife spent their remaining 
days, the later dying in 1890, at the age of sixty-six years, and the father 
in 1896, at the age of eighty-three. Both were consistent Christian people, 
and enjoyed the respect of all who knew them. 

The childhood days of George W. Miller were spent on the old homestead 
which he now owns. His education was mostly acquired in the common 
schools, supplemented by a course in the Northwestern Normal, of Fostoria, 
Ohio. Having qualified himself for teaching he became a follower of that 
profession and for a number of years performed the duties of an instructor 
in the schoolroom through the winter months, while in the summer seasons 
he engaged in farming. Having the ability to impart readily and with 
accuracy to others the knowledge he had gained, and being also an excellent 
disciplinarian, he proved a competent educator, giving excellent satisfaction. 
During the last three years of his school work he was employed as principal 
of the Oceola schools. He did much to advance the efficiency of the schools 
and his labor was attended with gratifying results. He is now president of 
the countv board of school examiners and of the Ohio Teachers' Reading 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 61 

Circle of the county, thus keeping in close touch with the educational interests 
of this part of the state. 

In 1880 Air. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Dell A. Sigler, the 
youngest daughter of George E. and Harriett (Horrick) Sigler, of Todd 
township. Her parents were among the pioneers of Crawford county, hav- 
ing come here in the early '40s. They were the parents of four children: 
Mary L., Elliot W., Rosamond E. and Dell A. Mrs. Sigler, who was the 
daughter of John and Mary (Grimes) Horrick, died in 1898, but Mr. Sigler 
is still living on a farm in Todd township. He is a son of Jacob and Rachel 
(Hines) Sigler and is a native of Pennsylvania, while his wife was born in 
Ashland county, Ohio. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Miller has been born but one 
child, Minta M.. who is in the senior year in the high school of Bucvrus. 
In that city her parents have a pleasant home, justly celebrated for its warm- 
hearted hospitality. 

In 1898 Mr. Miller was elected secretary of the Crawford County 
Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company, which was organized in 1877 and now 
is the strongest farmers' mutual in the state. In 1899 he was elected sec- 
retary of the Crawford County Agricultural Society, and since his election 
the society has introduced the educational feature in their fair and it has 
proven one of the best attractions. A new hall has been constructed espe- 
cially for this feature, which is filled each year with the best work from the 
schools of the county. Mr. Miller also served for fourteen years as treasurer 
and clerk of Todd township. In his political views, like his father, he is a 
stalwart Democrat, and takes an active interest in the work of the party, 
doing all he can for its substantial advancement and success. He is a man 
of strong purpose, of sterling worth and of unquestioned integrity and fidelity 
to duty, and enjoys the high regard of the people among whom his entire life 
has been passed. 

COLONEL EDWARD VOLLRATH. 

Prominent among the lawyers of Crawford county, and well known in 
public affairs is Colonel Edward Vollrath, of Bucyrus, in which city his birth 
occurred forty-three years ago. His parents, Charles and Elizabeth Vollrath, 
were natives of Germany. He attended the Bucyrus public schools, graduat- 
ing at the high school in 1878. After attending- Wittenberg College, Spring- 
field. Ohio, he entered Princeton Lmiversity, at which latter institution he 
graduated in 1883. In youth he worked at the carpenter's bench, but predilec- 



62 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

lion led him to the study of law. In 1885 he was admitted to practice as an 
attorney at law by the supreme court of Ohio, and has since practiced with 
success as a member of the Crawford county bar. 

In 1884 Colonel Vollrath entered the Ohio National Guard as a private. 
He rose to the rank of major, in which capacity he volunteered with his 
regiment — the Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry — in the Spanish-American 
war, and participated with Shatter's corps in the siege of Santiago, Cuba, 
He was mustered out of the United States service as major of volunteers, 
and was chosen colonel of his regiment — the Eighth Ohio — upon its reorgan- 
ization into the Ohio National Guard. Colonel Vollrath has a large and 
lucrative practice, and is also largely interested in manufacturing and real 
estate. 

In 1888 he married Miss Millie C. Wise, and his home is celebrated for 
its generous hospitality. Fraternally Colonel Vollrath is a member of the 
Knights of Pythias fraternity. He is a member of the St. Paul's English 
Lutheran church at Bucyrus ; has been a deacon in the church for more than 
fifteen years, and for several years he has superintended the Sunday-school. 

Unassuming and genial in manner, and always fair and just in all deal- 
ings, Colonel Vollrath is highly esteemed by his fellow citizens, and enjoys 
the confidence of a wide circle of friends. 

ALBERT F. MESSNER, M. D. 

Dr. Albert Frederick Messner is one of the younger representatives of 
the medical fraternity in Bucyrus, but his years seem no bar to his success, 
as his ability is such as to win for him a constantly growing practice. He 
is numbered among the native sous of the city, his birth having occurred 
here on the 3d of May, 1865. His father, Frederick Messner, was born at 
Schulerhoff, Germany, and after crossing the briny deep to> the new world 
he took up his abode in Bucyrus. He married Fredrika Nachtrieb, who was 
born in Bretzenacker, in the province of Weiblinger, Germany, and after 
coming to the new world took up her abode in Columbus, Ohio. 

The Doctor, at the usual age, entered the public schools and after putting 
aside his text-books he worked at the carpenter's trade for three years, but 
desiring to enter professional life he took up the study of medicine, reading 
under the direction O'f Dr. Jerome Bland, with whom he continued until nine- 
teen years of age. He then studied in the Starling Medical College of Colum- 
bus, Ohio, where he remained for two terms, after which he became a student 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 63 

in the Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago, where he was graduated in 
1890, at the age of twenty-four years. The same year he opened an office 
and began practice in Bucyrus, where he remained until 1896, when, wishing 
to still further perfect himself in his chosen work, he crossed the Atlantic to 
Berlin, Germany, and pursued a post-graduate course as a student in the 
Frederick Wilhelm University, known as the Imperial University. In the 
latter part of 1897 he returned to his native land, resuming practice in Bucyrus. 
On the 1 6th of April, 1896, Dr. Messner was united in marriage to Miss 
Martha A. Jordan, a daughter of Daniel and Mary A. Jordan. Their pleasant 
hime in Bucyrus is noted for its hospitality, which is freely extended to their 
large circle of friends. The Doctor has attained a remarkable degree of 
success in his professional career, and is accorded a prominent position in the 
ranks of the medical fraternity by his brethren of the profession and by the 
public as well. 

JOSEPH NEFF. 

An esteemed citizen and substantial farmer of Holmes township, who 
has been identified with much of the development of this section of Crawford 
county, is Joseph Neff, who was born in Hepburn township, Lycoming county, 
Pennsylvania, on November 10, 1829, a son of Michael Neff. (The family 
history may be found in the sketch of David Neff, in another part of this 
volume. ) 

The early life of Joseph Neff was similar to that of other healthv and 
happy boys, some schooling but much more farm work occupying his time. 
Until he was twenty-eight years old he remained at home, managing the 
farm for his mother. In the spring of 1857 our subject, with his mother, 
brother Jonathan, and three sisters, came to Crawford county, Ohio, and 
spent his first summer with his uncle, John Wagner. In the fall Joseph Neff 
and his brother Jonathan, bought two hundred acres of his present home farm, 
and here the brothers carried on extensive operations for a number of years 
together, their mother residing with them. During this partnership they in- 
creased the acreage to three hundred and seventeen, and when Jonathan Neff 
decided to retire from active labor Joseph purchased his interest. In later 
years he lias added to it and now owns in Holmes, Liberty and Sandusky 
townships some nine hundred and ten acres of the finest farming land in 
Crawford county. 

Mr. Neff was married February 9, 1869, to Sophia D. Yeiter, and to 



64 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

this union were born nine children, eight of whom still survive : Emanuel, 
who married Sarah Krauter; Elizabeth, the wife of Joseph Durr; Aaron and 
Amos C, twins; J. Jacob, who married Ella Schieber ; Mary, the wife of Abra- 
ham Schieber; Matilda, deceased; Emma, at home; and Joseph. All of the 
children are at home or located on farms in the county. Mr. Neff is sur- 
rounded by his descendants and has great cause to feel pardonable pride in 
them. Mr. and Mrs. Neff are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. 
Mr. Neff, one of the most generous of men. donated the ground and was a 
member of the building committee for the Methodist church building, which 
was erected on his farm near his residence. For a number of years he has 
been a trustee and his advice and business management of its affairs are 
invaluable. Politically he is a stanch Republican, and has taken an active part 
in educational matters and has been a wise and judicial member of the school 
board. Mr. Neff is one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Crawford 
county. 

Mrs. Neff was born in Liberty township, Crawford county, Ohio, April 
5, 1840. Her parents were Jacob and Elizabeth (Aupperly) Yeiter, both 
natives of Wurtemberg, Germany, and w r ere married there and came to this 
country in 1832, and settled in Liberty township, where they lived and died, 
the father dying in 1878 and the mother in 1885. They had nine children, 
of whom four are deceased. The names are John, deceased; Jacob; Mary, 
deceased; David; Catherine; Christina, deceased; Frederick; Sophia; Eman- 
uel, deceased. 

JACOB BABST. 

In studying the lives and characters of prominent men we are naturally 
led to inquire into the secret of their success and the motives that prompted 
their action. Success is oftener a matter of experience and sound judgment 
and thorough preparation for a life work than it is of genius, however bright. 
\\ nen we trace the career of those whom the world acknowledges as success- 
ful and of those who stand highest in public esteem, we find that in almost 
every case they are those who have risen gradually by their own efforts, their 
diligence and perseverance. These qualities are undoubtedly possessed in a 
large measure by the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch, and 
added to these is a devotion to principle that may well be termed the keynote 
of his character. It is this which commands the confidence and respect so 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 67 

universally given him, and it is this which has secured him prominence in 
the professional and industrial circles of Crestline. 

Mr. Babst was born in Canal Fulton. Stark county, Ohio, February 11, 
1846, and is the third child of Daniel and Margaret (Yost) Babst, whose 
life history may be found elsewhere in this volume. When seven years of 
age he was brought by his parents to Crestline, where he pursued his edu- 
cation in the public schools. In early life he learned the tinner's trade, 
which he followed for about eight years, when, in 1868, he opened a stove 
and tin store, which he successfully conducted until 1871, when his father 
erected the building and opened his present bank, at which time he disposed 
of his store and joined his father in the bank, acting as bookkeeper for one 
year. May 10, 1872, he went to Berea, Ohio, where he opened the first 
bank in that village, the firm being known as Clark, Babst & Companv. By 
an agreement entered into with his father prior to his going to Berea, he 
returned to Crestline the following May, and became cashier of his father*:' 
bank, assuming entire management, and these relations continued until the 
retirement of his father in 1878. It was at this time that Dan Babst, Jr., 
became identified with the bank, a co-partnership being formed between the 
brothers, the active management, however, remaining in Jacob's hands, as 
heretofore. This partnership was dissolved by mutual consent in May, 1887, 
when Jacob became sole owner of the institution, continually occupying the 
same room and same position for almost one-third of a century. His good 
judgment, keen discrimination and scrupulous honesty have caused this insti- 
tution to be regarded as one of the most reliable financial concerns in the 
county. His close application to business duties and the confidence reposed in 
him by his fellow citizens have been the potent elements which have marked 
to a great degree the increasing patronage of his bank. These strong char- 
acteristics are noted not only by his daily acquaintances but also by his fellow 
bankers, he having served three years on the Ohio Bankers' Association 
executive board, and was selected by this association, being one of five in 
the state, to represent them at the World's Congress of Bankers at Chicago 
during the World's Fair, and again in 1898 he represented this same body at 
the American Bankers' Association at Denver. 

At the present time he is the president of the Burch Plow Works, which 
employs about forty men. He organized the Schill Brothers' Furnace & 
Range Company, of which he was one of its stockholders and directors. 

In him Crestline has always found a warm friend. Xo movement which 
embodied the development and upbuilding of this city ever failed to get his 
4 



68 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

hearty endorsement and active support. Indeed, he has been looked upon as 
their leader, being selected as chairman of committees on public improve- 
ments. He may well be termed the "father of pike roads" in this township. 
The first articles in the city papers agitating the "piking" of the roads 
emanated from his pen, the initial meetings being held in his banking house, 
it was through his efforts that the first "pike" road was built in this town- 
ship, and to-day it is noted for its splendid roads, being one of the foremost 
townships in the county. One of the most important considerations of a 
city is its sanitary condition. It is this feaure which attracts the attention of 
the promoter and the home-seeker, and it is this which assures health to its 
inhabitants, and to this end Mr. Babst has toiled most untiringly : nor did 
he cease his untiring labors until he succeeded in securing a sewerage system 
which is the beginning of a movement that must prove of great benefit to the 
community. While Crestline cannot boast of an oil well to-day, yet it was 
the pioneer town in the late oil development in Ohio, and in this Mr. Babst 
was the prime mover, being personally interested in five wells. 

He stands very prominent in the Knights of Pythias fraternity, hav- 
ing frequently represented this order in the grand lodge. He is known all 
over the state as the "Pythian," for his activeness in behalf of the order. 
Pie belongs to the Masons, having been a member for thirty-two years, and 
also holds membership in the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. 

Like his father, his support is ever given to the Republican party, and 
while he has always refused political honors yet he has taken an active interest 
in all local affairs, and is always ready to uphold the principles of the ''Grand 
( )1<1 Party," and has often been a delegate to the state convention of his party. 

In i860 Mr. Babst was united in marriage to Miss Mathilde Stoll, a 
daughter of George F. and Caroline Stoll, of Bucyrus, who were pioneer set- 
tlers of this county. To a man's social standing and to his success or failure 
in business life may be attributed to a degree the co-operation he receives 
from the personage he selects for his life companion. As a factor in the 
progressive and successful business life of our subject can be added the influ- 
ence of his domestic life which is portrayed in the character of his wife. 
Before marriage Mrs. Babst was engaged in teaching in the public schools of 
Crawford county and has a broad, progressive and comprehensive mind. 
Their beautiful home, winch is so noted for the hospitality they have exhibited 
there, has been made brighter by the presence of three children : Earl D., 
who is now a prominent attorney at Detroit, Michigan; Jessie, the wife of 
H. H. Cocklev, the secretary of the Shelby Steel Tube Company, of Cleveland, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 69 

Ohio; and Bertha S., who is with her parents. Their home is always found 
open tor the warm reception of their many friends, and the family enjoys 
a leading place in social circles and gatherings in the county. The churches 
and charitable organizations of Crestline all profit by Mr. Babst's generous 
nature, and the poor and needy always find in him' a warm friend. Thin 
we see portrayed the life of an active and progressive self-made man,— 
the life of an honest, kind-hearted and charitable man who for a third of a 
century has participated in the business life of Crestline, and during this 
entire time he has so conducted himself and the affairs entrusted to him as to 
gain the respect and esteem of the entire county, and no word of censure has 
ever been uttered against him. 

LEWIS H. BATTEFELD. 

In the affairs of state, as taken aside from the extraordinary conditions 
of warfare, there are demanded men whose mental ken is as wide and whose 
generalship is as effective as those who insure successful maneuvering of 
armed forces by the skilled commanders on the field of battle. The nadons 
welfare and prosperity may be said to hinge as heavily upon individual dis- 
crimination and executive ability in the one case as the other. It requires 
master minds to marshal and organize the forces for political purposes and 
produce the best results by concerted effort. One of the leaders in Demo- 
cratic ranks in Crawford county is Lewis H. Battefeld, who has labored 
untiringly and effectively to promote the welfare and progress of his party 
and to secure a successful termination to its campaigns. He has filled many 
position ; of public trust and is now serving for the second term as county 
commissioner. 

Mr. Battefeld resides in Bucyrus and is numbered among Ohio's native 
sons, his birth having occurred in the capital city in 1842, his parents being 
Lewis and Christina (Biber) Battefeld. both of whom were natives of Ger^ 
many. The father was a Hessian and the mother was born in Wurtemberg. 
She was a little maiden of nine summers when, in 1832. she was brought 
to Crawford county, Ohio, by her parents, Conrad and Christina (Utz) 
Biber, both of whom spent their remaining- days in this county. Having 
located here in pioneer times, the grandfather of our subject entered land 
from the government in Cranberry township, and there developed and 
improved a farm. 

the parents of our subject both died of cholera in 1849, and he was 



;o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

thus left an orphan at the early age of seven years. Lewis H. Battefeld was 
educated in the country schools. He has also added largely to his knowledge 
through reading, observation and experience. In i860 he came to Bucyrus 
and learned the trade of harness and saddle making under the direction of 
J. G. Birk. For fourteen years he followed that pursuit and then abandoned 
it to engage in the manufacture of drain tile in Bucyrus, in 1876. He com- 
menced operations on a small scale, using horse power, but his trade soon 
demanded increased facilities; steam power was introduced, improved ma- 
chinerv was secured and an extensive business was carried on. The enterprise 
is now conducted by his son, Lewis P. Battefeld, in his own name. 

Our subject has frequently been called to public office and has been 
long a recognized leader in Democratic circles. In April, 1869, he became 
city marshal and filled the office for two years, and at the same time was town- 
ship constable. For six years, from 1886 until 1892, he was township trus- 
tee of Bucyrus township, and in 1895 he became county commissioner, being 
elected in 1894. Three years later he was re-elected to the office, so- that he 
is the present incumbent. For two years he was president of the County 
Commissioners' Association of Ohio, filling the office in 1898-9, its sessions 
being held in Toledo and Dayton in those years. From the time he attained 
his majority down to the present Mr. Battefeld has never wavered in his 
allegiance to Democracy. He was a delegate to the national convention held 
in Kansas City in 1900 from the thirteenth congressional district of Ohio, 
and has been chairman of the county central committee of the Democracy for 
the past eight years, filling that position at the present time. For five years 
prior he was also a member of the committee and he has frequently been a 
delegate to congressional and state conventions, where his opinions carry 
weight in the councils of his party. 

Mr. Battefeld was united in marriage, in Bucyrus, to Miss Phillipina 
krebs, a daughter of Frederick Adair and Christina (Weibel) Krebs, who 
came from Rhine, Bavaria, to the United States in 1852, and located in 
Liberty township, Crawford county, upon a farm, where they remained until 
called to the home beyond. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Battefeld is 
Lewis P. They Inst a daughter, Cordelia S., who died in 1886. The son 
is a graduate of the high school of Bucyrus, of the class of 1887, and is now 
carrying on the business established by his father. He manufactures brick 
and terra cotta and employs about twenty workmen, making shipments to 
various towns in Ohio. He is a member of the blue lodge and chapter of 
the Masonic fraternitv, and, like his father, is a stalwart Democrat. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 71 

Socially Mr. Battefeld, whose name introduces this record, is connected 
with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and with the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, and in the latter he has filled all of the offices. He 
also belongs to the English Lutheran church. His business affairs were ever 
so conducted as to gain for him a constantly increasing patronage. He was 
at all times strictly reliable, and his integrity, combined with his keen dis- 
crimination and capable management, won him a high degree of success, so 
that he is now enabled to rest in an honorable retirement from the active 
cares and duties of business life. Always courteous and genial, he possesses 
a social disposition that well fits him for the part he has taken in political 
affairs. The high esteem in which he is held speaks better than words can 
do as to his character as a man and a citizen. 

MICHAEL SIEFERT. 

Michael Siefert, who is proprietor of a warehouse and has other prop- 
erty interests in New Washington, is one of the oldest of the pioneer set- 
tlers of Cranberry township, where he now lives. Throughout the years 
of his residence in this county he has been known as a progressive and wide- 
awake citizen. He was born in Stark county, Ohio, October 8, 1S30, and is 
a son of John and Salome (Lantz) Si-efert. The father of our subject was 
born in Alsace, France, now a part of Germany, in 1803, and was there 
reared to farm life. His father, John Siefert, emigrated to America with 
his wife and seven children in the year 1827, landing - at New York city after 
a voyage of twenty-seven days. Making his way westward, he came through 
the canal to Stark county, where a location was secured, the father pur- 
chasing forty acres of land, upon which he spent his remaining days. The 
same year of their arrival John Siefert was married and located in Stark 
count}-, where he operated one farm of forty acres, conducting this on the 
shares for six years. 

In 1834 he came to Crawford county and entered a farm of eighty acres, 
one mile northwest of New Washington. Upon this tract of land he built 
a log cabin sixteen by eighteen feet, and soon his family were installed in 
their new home. The farm was all covered with a dense growth of timber 
and the Indians in the neighborhood were far more numerous than the white 
settlers, but that year several white families took up their abode in the vicinity 
of the Siefert farm. The father of our subject cleared his land and pur- 
chased thirty acres adjoining, developing a valuable property, upon which he 



72 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

resided until the time of his death, which occurred in 1859. His wife, who 
was born in Alsace, France, in 1804, came to this country with her parents 
on the same vessel on which her future husband made the voyage, and the 
Lantz family also located in Stark county. Mrs. Siefert survived until 1863, 
when she, too. was called to her final rest. Six children were born of their 
union, but only two of the number are now living, namely: Michael and 
Anna, the latter the wife of John Schemley, of New Washington. 

Michael Siefert spent the days of his childhood in his parents' home, 
and to the common-school system of the neighborhood he is indebted for the 
educational privileges which he enjoyed. On the 19th of October, 1854, he 
started out upon an independent business career, going to Eaton Rapids, 
Michigan, where he worked in a hotel until the 23d of December following, 
then returning to his home. On the 29th of January, 1856. he married Miss 
Christine Hofsisz, a native of Baden, Germany, who was born August 12, 
1834, and came to America in 1854 with her mother and step-father, who 
settled in Crawford county. 

After their marriage our subject and his wife took up their abode upon 
the old family homestead, which he cultivated on the shares until the death 
of his mother. He then purchased the interests of the other heirs and sub- 
sequently added a tract of twenty-five acres. Later he purchased seven other 
farms, making judicious investments in real estate as his financial resources 
were increased. However, he has since sold all of this with the exception of 
a tract of thirty acres, one mile east of New Washington, and the home 
farm. In 1879 he purchased the warehouse at New Washington, which he 
still owns, and he also' has his present town residence and three other dwellings 
here, the rental from which materially increases his income. He took up his 
abode in New Washington in 1882 and his attention has since been largely 
given to the management of his invested interests. 

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Siefert has been blessed with fourteen 
children, of whom nine are yet living, namely: Jacob, a resident farmer of 
Wyandot county, Ohio: Caroline, the wife of John Knodel, of New Wash- 
ington, Ohio; George, of New Washington; William, who operates the home 
farm; Anna, wife of Frederick Michelfelder, a shoe dealer of New Wash- 
ington ; John, also of New Washington ; Clara, wife of George Sheets ; Emma, 
who married Art Donnenwirth, a, telegraph operator of Waldo, Ohio; and 
Frederick, with his parents in New Washington. 

Mr. Siefert gives his political support to the Republican party and keeps 
well informed on the issues of the day, but has never sought or desired office, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 73 

preferring to give his attention to his business affairs, in which he has met 
with very creditable success, his labors bringing to him a handsome com- 
petence, so that now he is enabled to enjoy an honorable retirement. For 
more than sixty years he has been a witness of the growth of the county, 
having watched its development from earl}' pioneer days. 

JACOB SHEETZ. 

The history of a state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly the chronicles 
of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon 
society. The world judges the character of a community by those of its 
representative citizens, and yields its tribute of admiration and respect for 
the genius or learning or virtues of those whose works and actions constitute 
the record of a state's prosperity and pride, and it is this record that offers 
for our consideration the history of men, who in their characters for probity 
and benevolence and the kindly virtues, as well as for integrity in the affairs 
of life, arc ever affording to the young worthy examples for their regard and 
emulation. Therefore it is proper that a just celebrity be given to those men 
who are distinguished in their day and generation, that the living may 
enjoy the approbation of their contemporaries, as well as that of a grateful 
posterity. 

Jacob Sheetz certainly deserves mention among the representative men 
of Crawford county. He stands at the head of the firm of Jacob Sheetz & 
Brother, bankers and merchants, and the influence of his business activity 
is widely and beneficially felt. He was born in New Washington September 
23, 1843, being one of the six children of John A. and Margaret (Donnen- 
wirth ) Sheetz. As the name indicates the family is of German lineage. The 
father of our subject was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, December 3, 1809, 
and in 1824, when only twenty-one years of age, crossed the Atlantic to 
the new world in company with an older sister. After landing in New 
York city they made their way to Ohio-, locating in Columbiana county, 
where they took up their abode. For some years the father of our subject 
was employed as a farm hand and at various occupations which would yield 
him an honest living, receiving but six dollars per month in the first capacity. 
His sister having married and removed to Crawford county, he determined 
to go to Dayton, where he secured employment in a livery stable. He wa^ 
very fond of horses and prospered in this new line of business. About 1830 
he came to Crawford county to visit his sister, and, being pleased with the 



74 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

locality, determined to remain. Therefore lie purchased ninety acres of land 
in Auburn township, which tract includes the present site of the village of 
Waynesburg. He erected a log cabin, planted an orchard and began the task 
of clearing his land and cultivating crops. He was three times married. 
His first wife was Miss Margaret Weisenbacher, whom he wedded in Day- 
ton, in May. 1836; but after a short married life she died, in July of the same 
year. Subsequently (October, 1837) he was joined in wedlock to Miss Mar- 
garet Weaver, of Auburn township, Crawford county, and this union was 
blesed with one child, Catherine Agetta, now the wife of William H. Don- 
nenwirth, a resident farmer of Stark county, Ohio. The second wife lived 
but a little more than a year, and about 1842 John A. Sheetz wedded Mrs. 
Margaret Hesse, the widow of Ehregott Hesse and a daughter of George 
Donnenwirth. She was a native of Alsace, Germany. Her father emigrated 
to America about 1820. locating in Stark county, Ohio, whence he came to 
Crawford county, taking up his abode in Cranberry township, three miles 
northwest of New Washington, where he resided until his death. In early 
womanhood his daughter Margaret became the wife of Ehregott Hesse, a 
merchant of New Washington, and after the death of her first husband she 
carried on the business until her marriage to Mr. Sheetz, when he took up 
his abode in the town and assumed the management of the business, conduct- 
ing the same until his death, which occurred December 7, 1889. The 
Democracy received his political support, but he never sought office as a 
reward for public service. He was, however, the first postmaster of New 
Washington, and for several years prior to the establishment of the post- 
office at this place he walked once each week to a point four miles west of 
the town in order to meet the stage and get the mail for the people residing 
in this locality. As an accommodation for his business patrons and his fellow 
townsmen residing in this locality he continued to act as postmaster for many 
years. By his third marriage Mr. Sheetz had six children, four of whom are 
yet living, namely : John H., a banker and merchant, who is in partnership 
with his brother: Louisa P., wife of John M. Guiss, of New Washington; 
Jacob, of this review: and Caroline, now the wife of John L. Assenheimer, 
a lumber dealer and contractor of Bucyrus. 

Jacob Sheetz had the refining influences of a good home and the advan- 
tages of educational privileges in his youth. Having pursued his education 
in the common schools, he supplemented his preliminary course by study in 
the Bucyrns high school, in DeKalb College and in a private institution of 
learning in Cleveland. From his sixteenth year he worked upon his father's 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 75 

farm during the summer months, becoming' familiar with all of the duties 
that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. Later, however, his father insisted 
upon his entering the store, and when he was nineteen years of age he took 
his place behind the counters, there serving as a clerk. He soon manifested 
superior aptitude for business, and six months later he had complete charge 
of the enterprise. In less than a year the bills were made out in the name 
of John A. Sheetz & Son, although this was unauthorized by a business part- 
nership. In 1866, however, our subject purchased a half interest in the 
store, and in 1874 his brother, John H., purchased the father's interest, and 
the firm of Jacob Sheetz & Brother has since carried on operations. Not 
long afterward our subject established the Farmers Exchange Bank, under 
the name of the John A. Sheetz Company. Both branches of his business 
have contributed in a considerable measure to the general prosperity of the 
community, and at the same time have returned an excellent revenue to> the 
partners. 

On the 17th of October, 1867, Mr. Sheetz was married to Miss Eliza- 
beth A. Guiss, a native of Cranberry township and a daughter of Abraham 
Guiss, one of the prominent farmers of the community, now deceased. He 
was a native of Columbiana county, Ohio. This marriage has been blessed 
with three children:- Ada M., the eldest, is the wife of John Seifert, pro- 
prietor of an elevator at Xew Washington ; George W., who is a graduate 
of the New Washington high school and of the Spencerian Business College, 
of Cleveland, Ohio, is now attending the Ohio State University, preparing 
himself for the practice of law; and Emma L., the youngest, is also a grad- 
uate of the high school of New Washington and is now the wife of Martin 
L. Belser, D. D., of Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

In his political affiliations our subject is a Democrat, and for ten or more 
vears has served as a member of the town council, exercising his official 
prerogatives in support of all measures for the public good. For fifteen years 
he has served on the school board and was one of its members when the 
present school building was erected. He holds membership in the Lutheran 
church, and was one of its trustees, serving on the finance committee when the 
present church edifice was built. He is one of the most public-spirited and 
progressive citizens of the county, and has contributed in a large measure to 
the upbuilding and improvement of this part of the state. When he became 
a member of the mercantile firm of which he is now at the head he assumed 
an indebtedness of three thousand, seven hundred and fifty dollars. The 
year following he erected a residence and thus increased his indebtedness, but 



76 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

in a short time, owing to his capable business methods and management, he was 
enabled to pay off all obligations and has continually added to his wealth. He 
is a man of whom the most envious can scarcely grudge success, so well has he 
earned it, so admirably does he use it, so entirely does he lack pride of purse. 
He is kind, unaffected and approachable, and every comer has a claim upon 
his courteous attention. There has been nothing sensational in his career, 
every step has been thoughtfully and deliberately made and every advance 
has been at the cost of hard and self-denying labor. Born to lead, his great 
experience makes him a safe counselor and guide. He stands to-day in his 
mature years a strong man, strong in the consciousness of well-spent years, 
strong to plan and perform, strong in his credit and good name and a worthy 
example for young men to pattern after. 

THOMAS H. B. CLUTTER. M. D. 

A prominent physician and the oldest practitioner of Crestline in years 
of continuous connection with the medical profession in this place is Dr. T. 
H. B. Clutter, who was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, August 
2, 1841, and is a son of J. P. Clutter, who was also a native of the same 
county. He was a farmer by occupation, and died in Washington county, 
Pennsylvania, at the ripe old age of eighty years. His father, John Clutter, 
was a native of New Jersey and served as teamster in the Revolutionary 
war, enlisting for service at the age of seventeen years. The paternal great- 
grandfather, who was also named John Clutter, was also a defender of the 
nation, serving in the army for seven years and was paid for his services in 
continental money, and some of this money yet remains in the family. 

A native of Germany, he came to America when a young man and took 
up his abode in Washington county, Pennsylvania, his being the first family 
to settle west of the Alleghany mountains. Their home was in the midst 
of the deep forest. The settlements were afterward made and these early 
pioneers were frequently called upon to fight with the Indians, and a num- 
ber of the white settlers were massacred by the red men. John Clutter, the 
great-grandfather, was a well known Indian fighter and a great hunter, and 
lived to be ninety years of age, his being a family noted for longevity. The 
maternal ancestors of our subject were of German and French blood. The 
grandfather, James Andrews, was a native of New Jersey, but was of Ger- 
man lineage, and his people had located in Washington county, Pennsyl- 
vania, among - its pioneer settlers. He married a Miss Van Vorhees, who 





^ '\ '- v 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 79 

was of French lineage. She was born in New Jersey and was educated in 
the English schools, being able to speak both English and French fluently. 
The maternal great-grandmother of Mr. Clutter belonged to the Blackburn 
family, and she, too, was a native of New Jersey. The Clutter and Andrews 
families were united by the marriage of J. P. Clutter and Margaret Andrews, 
a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania. They became the parents 
of seven children, — five sons and two daughters. All of the sons reached 
manhood and with but one exception are yet living; but the daughters died 
in infancy. The mother passed away at the age of seventy years. Her son 
Samuel is now living in Akron, Ohio. John P. resides in Washington county, 
Pennsylvania, and Robert M. is a resident of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. 

The Doctor, who was the second son and third in order of birth in his 
parents' family, spent his youth in Washington county, Pennsylvania, where 
he pursued his education in the district schools. In 1861, when twenty years 
of age, he came to Crestline and began the study of medicine with Drs. A. 
and A. E. Jenner, under whose direction he continued his reading for five 
years. In the meantime he attended lectures at Starling Medical College, 
and was thus well equipped by broad learning for his professional duties. 
He began practice in Leesville. Crawford county, in 1867, and there remained 
until 1888, when he located in Crestline, where he has since successfully fol- 
lowed his chosen calling. He was graduated in the Columbus Medical Col- 
lege, with the class of 1879, and has always continued his close study of his 
profession, his reading and investigation keeping him abreast with the most 
advanced thought of the times. In addition to his practice he is interested in 
the First National Bank of Crestline, of which he is a director. 

The Doctor was twice married. In 1867 he married Miss Joanna Day, 
a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, born June 15, 1842. After 
her death he was again married, on the 15th of November, 1896, his second 
union being with Miss Ida Mapes, of Bucyrus, who came to Ohio from 
Pennsylvania. 

The Doctor is a Democrat in his political affiliations, and at all times 
takes a very active part in political affairs, attending conventions and doing- 
all in his power to promote the growth and success of his part}'. He has 
also served in the city council and on the school board, and takes a deep and 
abiding interest in everything pertaining to the welfare, progress and sub- 
stantial upbuilding of his community. Of the Masonic fraternity he is a 
very prominent member, having attained the thirty-second degree of the 
Scottish Rite. He is also connected with the Ancient Arabic Order of the 



So CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. The success which attends his efforts is but 
in natural sequence, for his position soon became assured as an able physician, 
a man of sterling- integrity and one devoted to- his profession and to the inter- 
ests and welfare of those to whom he ministered. He possesses marked 
judgment and discernment in the diagnosing of disease, and is peculiarly 
successful in anticipating the prognosis of complications, seldom making a 
mistake and never exaggerating or minifying - the disease in rendering his 
decisions in regard thereto. He is a physician of great fraternal delicacy, 
and no man ever observed more closely the ethics of the unwritten profes- 
sional code or showed more careful courtesy to his fellow practitioners than 
does Dr. Clutter. 

REV. NATHANIEL J. HADLEY. 

Rev. Nathaniel J. Hadley, pastor of the Christ English Lutheran church, 
was born in Mahoning county, just south of the Western Reserve line, No- 
vember 17, 1866. the son of prosperous parents whose home was on a farm. 
After attending the district schools the son took a course in Poland Union 
Seminary, which in its day was one of Ohio's most famous preparatory in- 
stitutions. Among others who have there fitted themselves for more ad- 
vanced educational work is President William McKinley. Mr. Hadley's 
course was an intermittent one, and in the intervals between the periods of 
study he engaged in teaching. He later entered the Northeastern Ohio Normal 
College, also a well patronized institution in the Western Reserve, its location 
being Canfield, Mahoning county. Subsequently he matriculated in Witten- 
berg College and was graduated at that institution with the degree of Bachelor 
of Arts in 1891. In the fall of the same year he entered Wittenberg 
Theological Seminary and on the completion of the three-years course the 
degree of Bachelor of Divinity was conferred upon him. The same year his 
alma mater bestowed upon him the degree of Master of Arts. 

Immediately afterward, in the fall of 1894, he was ordained as a minister 
of the gospel by the Wittenberg synod at Bellefontaine, having been licensed 
to preach the gospel by the same religious authority the previous year. In 
fact, while in his senior year he had been called upon and had supplied 
several pulpits in the absence of the regular pastors, one of which he supplied 
for five months. In May, 1894, Rev. Mr. Hadley took charge of his first 
congregation at West Liberty, Logan county, a town of about fifteen hundred 
population. There he remained in successful and harmonious relations with 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 81 

his flock until called to the broader field over which he now watches in Galion. 
This was on March 15, 1898. 

Rev. Mr. Hadley's work in Galion has been of a nature that well illus- 
trates the force of character of the man, convincing the greatly increased con- 
gregation that they were fortunate in choosing him as their spiritual adviser 
and pastor. Young and energetic, he went to work with a will, wiped out 
an indebtedness and established the church organization on a basis which 
has added to its power and influence. In numbers the congregation has 
greatly increased, and its progress and development has been so marked 
as to attract the attention of churches in larger cities. When in Logan 
county he was president of the County Christian Endeavor Union and during 
his incumbency in the office the county had the distinction of winning the 
banner offered by the State Association for the best organization and for the 
progress and work of the year. Since accepting his pastorate in Galion Rev. 
Hadley has served for one term at the head of the Crawford County 
Christian Endeavor Union. Rev. Hadley has been president of the Ministers' 
Union of Galion and at present is the secretary of the Wittenberg Synod. 
He is also editing an eight-page parish paper entitled the "Lutheran Visitor." 

In 1895 he was united in the holy bonds of matrimony to Miss Myrtle 
Bowsher, who had taken a select course at Wittenberg" College and was 
previously a teacher in the public schools of Millersburg, Ohio, where her 
parents reside, her father being a prominent merchant of that place. Mrs. 
Hadley is a lady of superior intelligence and culture and is of great assistance 
to her husband in the exercise of the high functions of his holy calling. 

Christ's English Lutheran church. 

Christ's English Lutheran church of Galion, Ohio, had its beginning 
in the summer of 1831 when the Rev. John Stough on the invitation of some 
Lutheran and Reformed church families came to- Galion. He at once organ- 
ized a united church, composed of the two denominations and served the 
congregation as pastor for five years, when on account of the infirmities of 
age he was compelled to resign. During his ministry he added to the church 
through instruction and confirmation forty-three members. He was suc- 
ceeded by the Rev. Mr. Lower of the Lutheran church and then followed 
three pastors of the German Reformed church in succession. About this 
time the united congregation built a church edifice on the southeast corner 
of Church and Union streets. During the existence of the united congrega- 



82 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

tion the Rev. Solomon Ritz, George Leiter and F. J. Ruth of the Lutheran 
church occasionally preached -in the English language. About 1841 the united 
church separated, the German Lutherans and the German Reformed people 
each building a church of their own, while those who preferred the services 
in the English language bought the old church property, organized an Eng- 
lish Lutheran church and secured as their pastor the Rev. J. B. Hoffman. 
The immediate succeeding pastors were Revs. Andrew Kuhn, J. Grouse, E. 
Eastman and I. Culler. Of these pastorates very little can now be learned save 
that Rev. Andrew Kuhn served the congregation for nearly four years, dur- 
ing which time nearly sixty-one members were added to the church. The 
choice of a successor to Rev. Kuhn resulted in a division of the church. 
There were two candidates for the position. The friends of the defeated 
candidate were dissatisfied and a number withdrew from the church and 
united with other denominations. Rev. Grouse was the successful candidate 
and remained as pastor for two years and nine months, during which time 
he was only able to add seven members owing to the inharmonious condition 
of the congregation. In September, 185 1, Wittenberg synod in its session 
at Bucyrus arranged the church of the synod into pastorates. By this act 
the Galion pastorate was composed of the following named churches : Galion, 
New Castle, Leesville and Lost Creek. In April, 1852, the Rev. J. F. Ruth 
became the pastor of this new charge. He found the Galion church small in 
membership but composed of faithful and pious people. This congregation 
received one service every two weeks. Rev. Ruth continued as pastor until 
April, 1 86 1. During the nine years of his service here seventy-five persons 
were received as members of this congregation. 

Rev. Ruth was succeeded by Rev. J. Stover, whose pastorate continued 
two years and nine months, during which time the membership was increased 
bv twenty-one, but the church largely felt the depressing influences of the 
Civil war. In March, 1864, Rev. J. F. Ruth was recalled to Galion and 
served this charge until 1870. The old church edifice had become dangerous 
and for nearly two years the congregation worshipped in the Baptist church. 
During this time an effort was made to buy a lot and erect a new house of 
worship. The work progressed and the new church was dedicated in Febru- 
ary, 1869. The indebtedness of the church was fully covered by subscriptions 
but as there was a shrinkage in the collection the church was left in debt. 
The membership was increased by thirty-eight during the second pastorate of 
Rev. Ruth. 

During the fall of 1869 some of the members, enjoying their new church 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 83 

home and recognizing a good opportunity for building up a strong English 
Lutheran church in this growing city, desired to be separated from the rest of 
the charge and employ a pastor to devote his entire time to the congregation. 
This was accomplished during the following year. Rev. Ruth continued as 
the pastor of the remainder of the charge and the Rev. H. B. Miller was 
invited to become the pastor of Christ's English Lutheran church. 

On the 1 st of January, 1871, Rev. Miller took charge of the congregation 
and on the 29th of the same month organized it under the name of Christ's 
Evangelical Lutheran church of Galion. There were about fifty-six mem- 
bers. Rev. Miller continued as pastor until 1876, during which time he re- 
ceived one hundred and seventeen members into the church, but lost by letter, 
removal and excommunications fifty-three, thus leaving a net gain of sixty- 
four. At the end of his pastorate the church membership was one hundred 
and twenty. His successor, the Rev. E. W. Souders, served the congregation 
from Jul}', 1876, until July, 188 1, and at the close of this pastorate the church 
had one hundred and fifty-three members. He was succeeded by the Rev. 
C. S. Ernsberger, who took charge November 13, 1881, and continued as 
pastor until January 1, 1891, during which time there were two hundred 
and forty-seven new members received, but by letter and otherwise one 
hundred and forty-three left the church, its membership being two hundred 
and fifty-seven at the close of his pastoral service here. By the 1st of 
October, 1882, he had also liquidated a debt of ten hundred and fifty dollars 
and during 1884 and 1885 the church was repaired at a cost of fifty-seven 
hundred dollars, the repairs consisting of the building of a Sunday-school 
annex and the remodeling of the auditorium. The church also made great 
advancement along all the lines of church work. 

FivHi the 1st of April, 189 1, until September 1, 1893, the Rev. James 
K. Argo was pastor, and during that time the church membership was in- 
creased by sixty-six, though death, removal and other causes reduced the net 
gain to thirty-nine, and the church indebtedness was decreased from ten hun- 
dred and seventy dollars to three hundred and twenty-five. On the 1st of 
December, 1893, Rev. M. Colver became pastor of the church, then number- 
ing three hundred and seventeen members, but though eighty-eight people 
were received into the church by him the net gain was only twenty-eight. 
He remained until December 1. 1897. 

The present pastor Rev. N. J. Hadley, assumed charge March 15, 1898, 
at which time there were found by careful examination only three hundred 
and eighteen names upon the church record. There have been received up to 



8 4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the present time (October i, 190 1) one hundred and thirty-one new members, 
but lost by death, letter and otherwise forty-seven, leaving a net gain of eighty- 
four, thus making the present membership four hundred and two. The aver- 
age attendance at the Sunday-school in the beginning of this pastorate was 
eighty-seven and at the present time is one hundred and sixty; the Christian 
Endeavor society has thirty members and the Women's Home and Foreign 
Missionary Society is meeting every demand made upon it by the general 
societv. The indebtedness of the church, which was composed of the deficit 
mi the current expenses, was one thousand dollars. This amount was can- 
celed during the first year of his pastorate. The church has been repaired, 
including repainting, papering and carpentering at a cost of between four 
and five hundred dollars, all of which has been paid for and the church is 
free from debt. Thus far during this pastorate there have been fifty-three 
funerals conducted, fifty children baptized and thirty-one marriages solem- 
nized. 

CHARLES VOLLRATH. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of Saxony, Germany, born May 16, 
1835, a son of Gottlieb and Fredericke (Meissner) Vollrath. He attended 
the schools of his native land seven years, and came to this country with his 
father's family, which lived the first year in Rochester, New York, and in 
May of 1849 came to Bucyrus. Here Charles Vollrath learned the car- 
penter's trade and followed it till 1855, when he became interested in a planing- 
mill, a business in which he prospered for years. 

March 23, 1858, he married Elizabeth Hocker, a native of Baden, Ger- 
many, born in June of 1831. 

JAMES R. HOMER. 

In the following record will be given the history o<f the busy and useful 
career of a distinguished resident of Gallon, who as a citizen, a leading busi- 
ness man and a soldier has ever done his duty without fear and without 
reproach, with an eye single to the greatest good to the greatest number. 
He has been honored by election to public office and is now filling the posi- 
tion of mayor in a most acceptable manner. He is a man of keen discrimina- 
tion, sound judgment, and his executive ability and excellent management 
have been a great benefit to the city of which he is now the municipal head. 





./P ^Ar>^i 



£S* 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 87 

He has made his home in Gallon since 1854, and throughout this long period 
he has been the promoter of many movements and measures for the general 
welfare and advancement of the material progress of the community. 

James Rodolphus Homer is a native of the Pine Tree state, his birth hav- 
ing occurred in Monson, Maine, on the 7th of April, 1833. His father, 
William Hoar, was a native of Monson, Massachusetts, and died in the year 
1870, when more than sixty years of age. His wife bore the maiden name of 
Betsy Goodel and she, too, was born in Monson, Massachusetts, but died 
in Monson, Maine, in 1897, when she had almost attained the age of ninety 
years. Their son, James R. Homer, spent the period of his boyhood and 
youth in his father's home and pursued his education in the schools of his 
native city, also spending one winter in the city of Monson, Massachusetts. 
He had but one brother and no sisters. His brother, Henry Homer, died 
at Monson, Maine, leaving two sons, who reside at the old homestead, from 
which place is taken the famous Monson slate. The subject of this review 
was about eighteen years of ag"e when, in 1851, he left home and started out 
to make his own way in the world. In 185-). he emigrated westward and 
became identified with the interests of Crawford county as a resident of 
Gabon. Here he secured employment in a foundry, being thus engaged until 
after the inauguration of the Civil war, when he put aside all personal and 
business interests in order to aid his country in the preservation of the 
Union. His patriotic spirit was aroused, and in August, 1862, he joined 
Company E, of the One Hundred and First Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which 
company was organized at Galion. He entered the service as a private, but 
was promoted from time to time until he was made first lieutenant, and as 
such had command of his company. The regiment was attached to the Army 
of the Cumberland, and with that great military force he participated in the 
engagements at Perryville, Stone River and Chickamauga, the last named 
being a continuous engagement of many clays. Subsequently he took part 
in the Atlanta campaign, and though tinder tire for one hundred days he 
was never wounded or injured in the slightest degree. Always found at 
the post of duty, he was brave and loyal in his efforts to- protect the old flag 
and with a most honorable military record he returned to his home, the blue 
uniform being a badge of honor. 

In Galion Mr. Homer worked at his trade, and in 1869 he embarked in 

business on his own account, purchasing a half interest in the foundry owned 

by A. C. Squier, the relationship being continued almost without a break for 

about twenty-nine years, and was then terminated by the death of Mr. Squier,. 

5 



88 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

who passed away on the 4th of April, 1896. Since that time Mr. Homer 
has been alone in business, and is now sole proprietor of the enterprise with 
which he has been so long identified. That it has been attended with success 
is indicated by its long continuance as an active factor in the industrial circles 
. f I rali >n. Its patronage has steadily increased in volume and importance, 
and as a result Mr. Homer has acquired a good income. 

In 18^7 was celebrated the marriage of Air. Homer and Miss Jane E: 
Nave, of Galion, who came from Pennsylvania to Crawford county with 
her parents, both of whom died here. The Naves were pioneer farmers of 
Polk township. Her brother, Sol P. Nave, was one of the first postmasters 
of Galion. and his son, the Rev. Orvill Nave, is now a chaplain in the regular 
armv. He spent fourteen years in producing a topical Bible, which has 
recently been published and which is now meeting with an excellent sale. 
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Homer have been born two children, the son, Charles 
O., is a graduate of the high school of Galion, and is now interested in the 
Building & Loan Association. Pie married Miss Lewis, of Galion, a daugh- 
ter of the late George F. Lewis, who died in this city in 1897. Charles O. and 
Minnie Homer now have two children : James Lewis and Lucile, aged, 
respectively, five and two years. The daughter of the family, Lulu Belle, 
is a graduate of the high school, and for seven years successfully taught in 
the public schools of this city. 

Mr. Plomer has ever taken a deep and commendable interest in every- 
thing pertaining to< the welfare and progress of his adopted town, and has 
been honored with several positions of public trust. On his forty-sixth 
birthday he was elected mayor of Galion, which at that time contained a 
population oi about three thousand, he being the first mayor chosen under 
the new city charter, which was obtained in 1879. He served for one term, 
and then, after an interval of twenty years, he was again elected to the same 
position, taking the office April 7, 1899, on the sixty-sixth anniversarv of 
his birth. Pie is now the present incumbent and capably handles the reins 
of the city government. He exercises his official prerogatives in support 
of many movements of reform and improvement. For four terms he has 
been a member of the city council, having first been elected to that office in 
1862, while his last term was in 1896. For eight years he was a member 
■of the school board and labored earnestly for the advancement of the edu- 
cational interests. He is identified with the Republican party, the principles 
of which he warmly advocates and is untiring in his labors for the promotion 
of its success. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 89 

Mr. Homer is prominent in social circles, being identified with various 
fraternal organizations. He became the first commander of Dick Morris 
Post, G. A. R., of Galion, and has ever manifested an abiding interest in 
the organization whereby he retains a pleasant relationship with his old 
army comrades. A prominent Mason, he belongs to the blue lodge, chapter, 
council and commandery, and has attained the thirty-second degree of the 
Scottish Rite, in the consistory of Cleveland, Ohio. He has passed all of 
the chairs in the blue lodge and has served as worthy master. In his life 
he has exemplified the benevolent spirit of the fraternity, which inculcates 
among its members principles of mutual helpfulness. The family attend the 
services of the Episcopal church. In all life's relations Mr. Homer has won 
the confidence and respect of his fellow townsmen. He is public spirited to 
a degree that renders him a very helpful citizen and he is held in the highest 
esteem by people of all classes and of all shades of political and religious 
belief. 

DAVID E. NEFF. 

As a thorough and successful farmer, an excellent neighbor and a highly 
respected citizen David E. Neff enjoys the esteem of the community in which 
he lives, and is regarded as a representative citizen of Liberty township. 
His birth was in Hepburn township, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, on Sep- 
tember 17, 1825, a son of John Michael and Christina (Wagner) Neff, and 
he was one of a family of eight children, the three survivors being David E. ; 
Christina, a maiden lady living with her brother Joseph ; and Joseph, a 
farmer in Holmes township. 

John Michael Neff, the father of our subject, was born in the town of 
Mahrenjen, Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1783, a son of Michael and Catherine 
(Graff) Neff, both of whom died in Germany, after rearing a family of six 
sons and one daughter. These sons were all of fine physique, all of them 
except John Michael being over six feet in stature. Two of them, Lorentz 
and Frederick, during the German war with France were chosen, on account 
of their fine appearance, as members of the king's body guard at the battle 
of Leipsic. In 1818 our subject's father, with his own family and three 
brothers, Lorentz, Abraham and John, emigrated to America. At that time 
the trip was a long and wearisome one. They took a flatboat from their 
home and came down the river Rhine on it to Amsterdam, and there embarked 
on a sailing vessel, the Susan, and added their number to the three hundred 



90 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

passengers already on board. Before sailing two deaths occurred, but there 
were none later on the voyage : on the contrary there were two births, one 
of these being a son born to our subject's parents, when in sight of land, and 
he was piously named Gottlobe, the meaning of the name being Praise God. 
As the voyage had consumed eighty-six days, seventy-six of these being with- 
out sight of land, the joy and thankfulness over its ending was universal, 
and perhaps no one rejoiced more than did John, who had been hidden in a 
barrel of household effects. 

Idie destination of the family was Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, and 
there they settled. The father was thrice married, his first wife and her 
infant died together. It was the wife of the second marriage that made the 
voyage with him, and she bore four children, all of whom are deceased. The 
mother of our subject, Christina Wagner, was the third wife. She was born 
in the same locality as the father, and was a daughter of John and Christina 
(Herdtneck) Wagner. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. NefT came to 
America on the same vessel with Mr. NefT, and were in very limited cir- 
cumstances. Having a family of seven children, Christina and her sister 
Dorothy were bound out, after landing, to a family in Philadelphia, to work 
out their passage, and at the expiration of three years Christina was mar- 
ried to our subject's father and became the former's estimable mother. An 
uncle of Mrs. Neff occupied the position of veterinary surgeon to the king of 
Wurtemberg. In Germany the Wagner family at one time had been pros- 
perous, but unfortunate limes came and they also came to America to repair 
their fortunes and settled in Lycoming- count}'. 

With his brother Abraham, John Michael NefT bought one hundred and 
twenty acres of land in Hepburn township, each taking sixty acres, and both 
added to their estates in later years, the father owning at one time one hun- 
dred and twelve acres. After the death of his second wife he walked to 
Philadelphia to bring back with him the bright girl he remembered so well, 
and with her as his bride returned to the farm, through ten inches of snow. 
By trade he was a potter, and he established a [lottery on his estate, but the 
country was too sparsely settled to make this pay. Here he lived, and died 
on April 2T. 1841. 

Our subject grew up on his father's farm in Pennsylvania and received 

his education in the common schools, in the German language, and for six 

weeks received instruction in English, after lie was twenty-one years of age. 

\1 the age of eighteen he apprenticed himself to the cabinet-making trade, in 

Wiliiamsix.rt, Pennsylvania, and remained until he was a finished workman. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 91 

In April, 1848, he took passage on a canal boat to Philadelphia, being able to 
work for his passage, as the owner of the boat was a friend, and he soon 
found employment in Philadelphia, at his trade, following it there for fifteen 
months, at the expiration of which time he returned to Williamsport. 

In 185 1 Mr. Neff took a trip to Crawford county, Ohio, with his brother 
John, who was returning to Ohio with his bride, this being a pleasant excursion 
of sixteen days in an old prairie schooner. He spent the winter in Crawford 
county, returning to Williamsport in the following June, but in rhe spring 
of 1858, as his health seemed impaired, he removed with his wife and two 
children to Crawford county, in order to be again with other members of 
liis family. His mother, with his brothers Jonathan and Joseph, with three 
sisters, had moved to this locality the previous year. Our subject lived with 
the family eight years. They had purchased two hundred acres of land and 
our subject worked with them in Holmes township and assisted in paying for 
it. In the spring of 1866 he purchased his present farm of one hundred and 
sixty acres and removed to it, where he has ever since resided, engaged in 
developing and operating this fine property. 

The marriage of Mr. Neff was on September 7, 1854, to Miss Mary Wise, 
a native of Lycoming county and the daughter of Jacob Wise, also a native 
•of Pennsylvania, who with his wife, Mary Magdalene (Ott) Wise, were of 
German extraction. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Neff numbered four, 
these being Henry E., living at Ada, Ohio; Ellen M., deceased; Charles J., 
the farmer on the home farm ; and Louisa, deceased. 

In politics Mr. Neff has been for many years a stanch supporter of the 
Republican party, although his first vote was cast for a Democratic candidate. 
His family belongs to the English Lutheran church, which he also attends 
and to which he gives liberal support. The social standing of the family in 
Liberty township is high, and Mr. Neff is well known as a liberal-minded 
and most estimable citizen who enjoys the respect of all with whom he has 
either business or other relations. 

WILLIAM A. BLICKE. 

The history of a community as well as that of a nation is chiefly the 
chronicle of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity 
upon society. The world judges the character of a community by that of its 
representative citizens, and yields its tribute of admiration and respect for the 
genius, learning or virtues of those whose works and actions constitute the 



92 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

record of a state's prosperity and pride; and it is in their character, as exempli- 
fied in probity and benevolence, kindly virtues and integrity in the affairs of 
life, they are ever affording worthy examples for emulation and valuable 
lessons of incentive. 

Air. Blicke, who is now acting as cashier of the Bucyrus City Bank and 
who through almost two decades has been connected with this institution, was 
born in Bucyrus, April 4, 1866, his parents being Frank and Theressa (Voll- 
rath) Blicke. The father was born May 6, 1836, in the town of Nice, Ger- 
man}-, and between the ages of seven and sixteen years pursued his education 
in the public schools there, receiving good mental discipline. In the year i860 
he determined to try his fortune in America and crossed the briny deep to 
the new world. After landing in New York he made his way westward to 
Bucyrus, where he began merchandising, conducting a store for twenty-five 
years with signal success. His trade grew with the increase of population 
and his business brought to him an excellent financial return. He carried on 
operations along that line until 1898, when, with a handsome competence. 
he retired to private life to enjoy the fruits of his former toil. He is now living 
in his adopted city, surrounded by many of the comforts and luxuries of life, 
and enjoying the esteem of many warm friends. His fellow townsmen, 
recognizing his worth and ability, have called him to public office, and from 
1888 until 1892 he served as county treasurer. He was also the treasurer of 
Bucyrus township for several terms, was city treasurer for four years and 
for a number of terms was a member of the city council. His public duties 
have ever been discharged with promptness and fidelity, and the record of his 
service is one worthy of the highest commendation. His wife resides with 
him in their pleasant home in Bucyrus, and they have two daughters, — Carry 
M. and Lulu M., who are still under the parental roof. 

The boyhood days of William A. Blicke were spent in a manner usual to 
lads of the period. He enjoyed the pleasures of the play-ground and devoted 
considerable time to the duties of the schoolroom. In 1879 he entered the 
county recorder's office, where he served as deputy for a year and a half, and 
on the expiration of that period he entered the Monnett Bank, now the 
Bucyrus City Bank, in the capacity of bookkeeper and assistant cashier, filling 
the dual position in a most acceptable manner. On the 1st of January. 1901, 
he was elected cashier, and is now acting in that capacity. He is thoroughly 
familiar with banking, and his close application, energy and creditable business 
methods have been potent factors in securing the success of the institution 
which he represents. His labors have not been confined to one line, for in 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 95 

1884 he organized the W. A. Blicke Fire, Life & Accident Insurance Agency, 
which is still one of the leading insurance organizations in the county. He 
has been auditor of the People's Savings Loan & Building Company since its 
organization in 1889, and has capably controlled these various interests. 

The marriage of Air. Blicke was celebrated in 1889, Miss Antonia L. 
Mader, of Bucyrus, becoming his wife. The lady was a daughter of J. G. 
Mader, a director of the Bucyrus City Bank. She died in 1891. leaving one 
son, Frederick F.. who is now in school. In 1901 Mr. Blicke married Nelle 

A. Hall, daughter of Joseph Hall, postmaster of Bucyrus. Mr. Blicke is 
connected with Demas Lodge, No. 108, K. P., and Bucyrus Lodge, No. 156, 

B. P. O. E., and of the latter is trustee. He also belongs to the German 
Lutheran church. In 1888 he was elected city clerk of Bucyrus and filled the 
position for a term of twelve years. His entire life has been passed in the 
city which is yet his home, and the fact that those who have known him from 
boyhood are numbered among his warmest friends is an indication of an up- 
right and honorable career. He has ever won the respect of his fellow men 
by his fidelity to duty and his worth as an individual is indicated by the 
warm esteem in which he is uni formal v held. 

CHARLES LAKE. 

The history of Charles Lake forms an integral part of the annals of Craw- 
ford county, for he has been engaged in the jewelry business in Bucyrus for 
fifty years and is one of the most successful and enterprising merchants of 
the city. His life has been an evidence of the fact that ambition, enterprise 
and diligence can cope with an adverse fate and ultimately reach the goal 
of prosperity. He arrived in Bucyrus in 1852, and since that time he has 
advanced steadily toward prosperity and is to-day accounted one of the pro- 
gressive, respected and well-to-do merchants of this portion of Ohio. 

Mr. Lake was born April 20, 1838, in Chester, which was then the 
county seat of Meigs county, Ohio. His father, Joseph Lake, removed from 
Hartford, Connecticut, to the Buckeye state in 1800. Fie was then a young 
man desiring of improving his financial condition in the west. He secured a 
tract of land, cleared and improved it and developed it into a fine farm. He 
married Eliza Cassell, who was of Scotch descent and came to the Buckeye 
state from Hartford, Connecticut. Their son, Charles, was reared in the 
county of his nativity, pursued his education in the public schools there and 
learned the jeweler's trade in Cincinnati, Ohio. He came to Crawford county 



94 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

from the vicinity of Pomeroy, Meigs county. On arriving in Bucyrus he 
opened a jewelry store, and his close attention to business and honorable 
methods have enabled him to command a liberal share of the public patronage 
and therefore enjoys a large and constantly increasing trade and a good in- 
come. He carries a well selected stock of goods and his splendidly equipped 
store would be a credit to a city of much 1 greater size than Bucyrus. 

Mr. Lake was united in marriage to Miss Appalie Seiser, of Bucyrus, 
a daughter of William H. and Salome (Lozier) Seiser. The father came to 
Ohio from Germany with the Zoar colony. One daughter was born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Lake, Helen, who is now the wife of James Aylward, of Toledo, 
Ohio. They also lost a daughter, Fanny, and one son, Edwin, who died at 
the age of eight years. The mother was called to her final rest in December, 
1890, at the age of forty-five years. In his political affiliations Mr. Lake 
is a Republican, earnestly advocating all measures of his party, believing that 
it contains the best element of good government. He is an attendant on the 
services of the Methodist Episcopal church and is a gentleman of scholarly 
attainments, his library being one of the important features of his pleasant 
home. From an early age his life has been one of ceaseless activity, and all 
that he has acquired is the reward of his own labors. He is a man of strong 
purpose and resolution and brooks no obstacles that can be overcome by deter- 
mined and honorable effort, and it is these laudable qualities that led to his 
success. He justly merits the high regard in which he is held and his example 
should serve as a source of encouragement to others. 



DANIEL W. LOCKE. 

Holding marked prestige among the prominent members of the Bucyrus 
bar is Daniel Wheeler Locke, who has been successfully engaged in the prac- 
tice of the legal profession since the 1st of October, 1879. There are few 
men whose lives are crowned with the honor and respect which is universally 
accorded him, and through twenty-one years' connection with the legal inter- 
ests of the county his has been an unblemished character. With him success 
in life has been reached by sterling qualities of mind and a heart true to every 
manly principle. In his varied business interests his reputation has been 
unassailable, and in offices of public trust he has displayed a loyalty that has 
classed him among the valued citizens of the commonwealth. In the courts 




tr<s>4& 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 97 

of his district he displays strong mentality and a power of argument that 
has won for him many notable forensic victories. 

Daniel W. Locke was born in Bucyrus September 25, 1858, his parents 
being Daniel Wheeler and Martina (Bodine) Locke. His paternal grand- 
parents were John and Ruth (Saxon) Locke. The former was born in 
Woburn. Massachusetts, June 10. 1752, and died March 31, 1834, in Choco- 
nut, Pennsylvania. He was one of fifty men who, disguised as Indians, 
threw the tea into the Boston harbor on the 16th of December, 1773, an act 
which has since become historic under the name of the Boston Tea Party. 
Opposed to the policy which Great Britain was pursuing toward her American 
colonies, he joined the Colonial army and was mustered into the service 
March 19, 1777, as a member of Captain Blodgett's Company and Colonel 
Enoch Poore's Regiment of New Hampshire troops. He marched with the 
company of Captain Melwich to the relief of Ticonderoga. In 1775 he 
had served as a minute man in Captain Parson's Company, and this proved 
an excellent training school for his later military service. In 1781 he was 
a member of a company commanded by Captain Thomas and attached to the 
New Hampshire Militia Regiment commanded by Colonel Renal. He was 
a loyal defender oi the colonies, doing all in his power to secure independence 
for the republic. 

Nathaniel Reed Locke, the grandfather of our subject, was born at Deer- 
field, Connecticut, in 1792, and after arriving at years of maturity he wedded 
Llester Ross, a daughter of Dr. William and Sophia (Merceran) Ross. Her 
mother was a daug'hter of Joshua Merceran, who served as aide-de-camp 
on the staff of General Washington on Long Island. Daniel Wheeler Locke, 
Sr., father of our subject, and a son of Nathaniel R. and Hester (Ross) 
Locke, was born in New York and came to Crawford county, Ohio, when a 
young man about twenty years of age.. Here he joined his brother, David 
R. Locke, in the publication of the Bucyrus Journal. The latter went from 
Crawford county to Findlay, Ohio, and thence to Toledo. He became famous 
under the nom do plume of Petroleum V. Nasby, of the Kentucky Cross Roads. 
His first article written under this name was due to a remark of a German 
minister named Vail, who, while attending a funeral of a Union soldier at 
Wingerts Corners, in Crawford county, in his prayer asked God "to hav r e 
mercy on another victim of this God-damned abolition war." This appeared 
to David Locke as very ridiculous in a minister of the gospel and inspired his 
first article on the slavery question. The preacher's name was Peter Vail, 



98 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and Mr. Locke changed this to Petroleum Vail, adding the name of Nasby, 
which was that of a quaint, humorous and original character who lived near 
Benton, Crawford county, named Nasby Wilcox. 

Daniel Wheeler Locke, the father of our subject, abandoned the journal- 
istic and printing business on account of trouble with his eyes, and then 
began dealing in stone. He died in Crawford county in 1858, at the age 
of twenty-eight years, from injuries sustained in a runaway. He had mar- 
ried Miss Martina Bodine, a daughter of Peter and Susan (Ervin) Bodine. 
Her mother was a daughter of Peter Ervin, who served as a colonel in the 
Revolutionary war. The Bodines resided in Cayuga county. New York. 
Mr. Locke died very suddenly at a time when his wife was ill in bed. She 
was left with no patrimony and with three small children to* support. She 
borrowed money at ten per cent, interest, purchasing a sewing machine, and 
by doing work as a seamstress began to provide for the support of herself 
and her children, Daniel W. and Ross, the latter now in the newspaper 
business in Tiffin, Ohio. Another brother, Mathew Bodine Locke, the twin 
of our subject, had died in childhood. After a time Mrs. Locke had savecl 
enough money to purchase a home for her little family. She gave to her 
children good educational advantages and did everything in her power for 
them. There was something heroic in the sacrifice which she made for her 
sons, putting aside every personal interest in order to provide for them and 
gain for them a good start in life. She is still living, at the age of sixty- 
nine years, and has the gratitude, respect and unbounded love of the two 
children for whom she cared and who have now attained to man's estate,, 
being numbered among the respected citizens of the communities in which 
they reside. 

Daniel W. Locke, whose name introduces this record, began to assist his 
mother as early as possible, and when only fourteen years of age engaged 
in teaching. He also sold books and did everything else he could in order to 
make an honest living-. Llis preliminary education, acquired in the public 
schools, was supplemented by study in the high school of Bucyrus and in 
Wooster University. Desiring - to- engage in the practice of law, he began 
reading under the direction of the well known firm of Scott & Harris, of 
Bucyrus, and when he had mastered many of the principles of jurisprudence 
he passed an examination before the supreme court at Columbus and was 
admitted to the bar on the 1st of October, 1879. His success in a profes- 
sional way affords the best evidence of his capabilities in this line. He is a 
strong advocate before the jury and concise in his appeals to the courts. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 99 

He is also remarkable for his wide research and the provident care with 
which he prepares his cases. In no instance has his reading- ever been con- 
fined to the limitations of the questions at issue; it has gone beyond and 
compassed every contingency and provided not alone for the expected, but 
for the unexpected, which happens in the courts quite as frequently as out 
of them. His logical grasp of facts and principles and of the law applicable 
to them has been another potent element in his success; and a remarkable 
clearness of expression, an adequate and precise diction, which enables him to 
make others understand not only the salient points of his argument but his 
every fine gradation of meaning, may be accounted among his most con- 
spicuous gifts and accomplishments. He was one of the organizers of the 
Bucyrus Loan & Building Company, in February, 1887, and since that time 
has been its secretary. 

In Bucyrus, in 1887, Mr. Locke was united in marriage to Miss Eva 
Kerr, a daughter of John Kerr and a granddaughter of Robert Kerr, who was 
one of the pioneers of Crawford county and one of the wealthiest men in this 
portion of Ohio. Her mother bore the maiden name of Alice Chambers, 
and in early life resided in Carey, Ohio. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Locke have 
been born two sons, — John George Gormley and Daniel Wayne. Mr. Locke 
is identified with the Knights of Pythias fraternity, has served as past chan- 
cellor in the local lodge and is now a representative to the grand lodge. In 
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks he is serving as chaplain, is 
past chancellor in the Ancient Order of United Workmen and past councilor 
in the Junior Order of American Mechanics. He also belongs to the Inde- 
pendent Order of Foresters and to the Presbyterian church, and in the latter 
he is now serving as trustee. His political support has been given the 
Republican party and he is an enthusiastic advocate of its principles and 
policy. He does all in his power to promote its growth and success and has 
several times been honored with nominations for office. He was a candidate 
for congress in the thirteenth district in 1900, and, although the district has 
a Democratic majority of seven thousand, he made a strong race and suc- 
ceeded in largely reducing the vote given to the Democratic candidate. He is 
a man whose life experiences have been broad and varied, and as the years 
have passed he has learned the lessons of life and become imbued with 
humanitarian principles. His strong individuality, his generous sympathy 
and marked intellectuality have rendered him one of the honored and valued 
citizens of his native state, and his record now forms an important chapter 
in the history of Crawford county. 



ioo CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

WILLIAM H. HISE. 

One of the most widely known and highly esteemed citizens of Liberty 
township, Crawford comity, is William Hise, who for forty years was an 
eminent justice of the peace and for a period of four years the careful and 
efficient treasurer of Liberty township. By birth Mr. Hise is a Pennsylvanian, 
being born in York county, on July 25, 181 8. His parents were John and 
Eve E. ( Knuckle) Hise. both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, and the 
fathers of both were born in Hesse, Germany. They came to America as 
soldiers in the British army during the Revolutionary war and b< >th the grand- 
fathers participated in one engagement, but after it was over both of them 
deserted from the British army, joined the troops under General Washington 
and continued their services in the Patriot army until the close of the struggle. 
Many of their Hessian acquaintances who were taken prisoners at the battle 
of Stillwater did likewise. After the close of the war, Mr. Hise and Mr. 
Kunckle made their way to York county, Pennsylvania, where they settled and 
turned their attention to farming, literally turning their swords into plough- 
shares. There both lived to advanced age. 

This Hise, of Revolutionary fame, reared four sons, and one of them, 
John, became the father of our subject. He learned the trade of shoemaker, 
married in York county and then lived for a time in Adams county, coming to 
Crawford county, Ohio, in 1824. Here he entered eight}- acres of land in 
Jefferson township, built his log cabin and established a shoe shop. His land 
was cleared by hired help, as he was able to earn enough by his trade to pay 
for having it done. Here he prospered until he removed to Bucyrus, in 1832, 
and to Circleville in 1836. 

William H. Hise learned the shoe trade of his father and worked with him 
in Crawford county until the latter's removal. He then opened a shoe shop 
at Parcher's Corners, in 1844. The following year, on March 13, 1845, ne 
was united in marriage to Miss Isabella Ridgely, a native of Wayne county, 
Ohio, who was born on July 15, 1818. She was a daughter of Wesley 
Ridgely. who came to Crawford county either in 1818 or 18 19 and settled in 
Jefferson township. Later he sold his first farm and located on another two 
miles east of Bucyrus. and in 1844 removed to Cass county, Michigan, where 
he died in the following year. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hise had seven children, the six survivors being: Sarah 
C, the widow of Nelson Smith, of Bucyrus, Ohio; John W.. of this township; 
Andrew H., of Carrollton, Ohio; Samuel L., of this township; Nora B., the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 101 

wife of O. E. DeWitt, of Bucyrus ; and Rebecca, at home. Mrs. Hise, the de- 
voted wife and mother, passed out of life on March 10, 1895. 

Following his marriage Mr. Hise removed to Liberty township and 
bought an acre of land upon which was a house and shop and began work at 
his trade, which he followed industriously and continuously until about 1887, 
a period of nearly forty-two years. Then he gave up work and since that time 
has devoted his attention to the cultivation of his farm of eighty acres, which 
he purchased about 1865, and removed to this property in 1876, his sons 
managing the farm while he continued his work at his trade, which always 
was pressing - . 

Mr. Hise has been very active in Democratic circles in the county and has 
been held in such high esteem that his selection as township treasurer met with 
approval from both partieo. Four years of service were faithfully given, and 
also several years as township trustee. For forty years his decisions as 
justice of the peace were upheld by the superior courts and he then declined to 
serve longer. Although Mr. Hise has reached his eighty-third year he is a 
man of much younger years in appearance, rides a bicycle with pleasure and 
during the past year not only seeded but cultivated seven acres of corn and 
seven of oats by his own labor ! Through this section of the county no one 
is better or more favorably known than William H. Hise. 

FRANK DICK. 

Close application to business, aptitude for earnest labor and indefatigable 
enterprise have been the salient features in the success which has crowned the 
efforts of Frank Dick, the well known proprietor of the Dick Brewery and 
Artificial Ice Factory, of Bucyrus. He has carried on business here since 
July, 1889, his trade constantly increasing. 

Mr. Dick was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, in the year 1861, but his 
parents were both natives of Baden, German)', whence they crossed the At- 
lantic to the new world. Under the parental roof he was reared, and in early 
life he became associated in business with his father, who owned and operated 
a brewery in La Porte, Indiana. He was admitted to a partnership in the 
enterprise, but in 1889 he sold his interest and came to Bucyrus, establishing 
the brewery of which he has since been proprietor. In 1890 he erected a large 
brick and stone building, a model, and in connection with the brewery business 
added the manufacturing of artificial ice, and in both lines of business he has 
enjoyed a constantly increasing trade. He confines his sales to this section of 



io2 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Ohio, having a large patronage from surrounding towns. He gives close 
attention to his business affairs, allowing no outside interest to interfere with 
the duties that come to him in this relation. Each year he overhauls and 
equips his plants, which are supplied with the latest improved machinery 
and all modern conveniences and accessories. He now employs a large force 
of workmen, and he is familiar with his business in every detail. He per- 
sonally conducts all transactions with patrons and is in full control of the 
business, being acquainted with the work done in every department. 

In 1893 Mr. Dick was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Aichner, of 
Chicago, Illinois, and they have a pleasant home in Bucyrus. He takes an 
active interest in political affairs as a supporter of Democratic principles, and 
does everything in his power to advance the growth and insure the success of 
the party. He has served as a member of the county and other committees 
and is a recognized leader in Democratic ranks. He belongs to the Benevo- 
lent and Protective Order of Elks, but his time and attention are largely given 
to his business affairs, which are constantly growing in volume and importance, 
and are therefore annually augmenting his income. 

AARON J. QUAINTANCE. 

Aaron J. Quaintance is one of the highly esteemed and public-spirited 
men of Crawford county. His birth was in Holmes township, on March 4, 
1834, a son of Joseph and Hannah ( Hale) Quaintance, and was one of a fam- 
ily of ten children, five of whom survive, namely : Aaron, of this sketch ; 
Samuel, of Todd township; Angeline, the wife of Edward Smith, of Todd 
township; Lucetta, the wife of Valentine Underwood, of Todd township; and 
Fisher, of Todd township. The father was born in the state of Xew York, 
a son of Samuel Quaintance, who came to Crawford county, at an early day, 
settling in Holmes township, on the Tiffin road about two miles north of 
Bucyrus, where he entered eighty acres of land and built a log cabin in the 
forest, passing the rest of his life there. After Joseph Quaintance married 
he settled on a tract of forty acres given him by his father, on the east of the 
home farm, on which he built a cabin, cleared the land and lived there some 
years and then sold it to buy a farm of eighty acres in Liberty township, 
where he spent the remaining years of his life. In his political life he was an 
active Whig and for very many years was a leading member of the Methodist 
church. 

Our subject was reared on the farm and acquired but a limited education 



CEXTEXXIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 103 

in the common schools, as his services were so often needed in the manage- 
ment and clearing of the land. About the age of sixteen the death of his 
father threw upon him the responsibility and care of the family, as he was the 
eldest son. Most worthily did he perform this duty, taking the place of his 
father with a judgment far beyond his years and earning the affection and 
gratitude of the other members of the family. 

In 1857 Mr. Quaintance was united in marriage to Miss Mary Heller, a 
native of Pennsylvania, the daughter of Daniel and Catherine (Gingery) 
Heller, who came to Crawford county about 1839, settling in Liberty township 
for one year and later permanently settling in Holmes township, where they 
died. When the home farm was sold, one hundred and three acres of our sub- 
ject's present farm was purchased, and our subject's mother lived with him 
some years, when he bought the estate from her and she passed her last days in 
Todd township. Some years later Air. Quaintance purchased an additional 
fifty-seven acres, making the amount in his possession one hundred and sixty 
acres, a fine and valuable estate. 

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Quaintance numbered twelve, and 
ten of these survive, namely: Joseph, of this township; Leroy, of Bucyrus 
Ohio; Martha E., the wife of William Dobbins, of Sandusky township,' 
Daniel, of Johnson county, Kansas ; Oscar, of Whetstone township, Crawford 
county, Ohio; Blanche, the wife of D. S. Kimble, of the same township ; James, 
of Bucyrus; Olive E., at home; Orland J., and Onie M., who is the wife of 
Albert Brown, of Bucyrus, the latter two being twins. Israel and Hannah 
are dead. The political affiliations of Air. Quaintance is with' the Repub- 
lican party, while religiously all the family are connected with the United 
Brethren church, where they are highly esteemed. 

PETER HELFRICH. 

Peter Helfrich is the ancestral head in America of one branch of the 
family of that name that has helped Crawford county to a citizenship which 
has always proven a credit and a substantial support. He came from Ger- 
many to this country in 1830. His birth occurred in the fatherland and he 
was the son of parents who were well-to-do and prominent people. His father 
served as burgomaster, an office equivalent to that of mayor in this country, 
and was also public administrator, in which position his duties were similar to 
those performed by the sheriff in the United States. Peter Helfrich acquired 
a good common-school education which he broadened by study at home and his 



io 4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

appreciation of education was indicated by the liberal advantages which he 
afforded his children, a large family of farmer's children seldom receiving such 
good opportunities as he gave to his sons and daughters. 

Ere leaving his native country, Peter Helfrich was united in marriage to 
Miss Margaret Burmuth, and when they came to the United States they 
brought with them their daughter, Margaret, then two years of age. The 
voyage across the Atlantic was made on a sailing vessel and consumed eighty- 
five days, while to-day the same trip can be made in one-fourteenth of that 
time. Mr, Helfrich first settled in Pennsylvania and in 1835 he came with his 
family to Crawford county, taking up his abode in Whetstone township. 
Here he entered land from the government, built a house and established the 
Helfrich family, which, grown very numerous, celebrated a reunion on July 
4, 1 901. 

Unto Air. and Airs. Peter Helfrich were born the following named: 
Jacob, now a prominent farmer of Missouri ; Nicholas C, who for thirty-three 
years has been a representative of the ministry of the Presbyterian church and 
is now located in Columbus, Ohio ; Catharine, the wife of John C. Sherer ; and 
Elizabeth. The Helfrichs, with one or two exceptions, were identified with 
the Lutheran church. The death of Peter Helfrich occurred in 1862, but he is 
still remembered and honored by those in Crawford county who knew him 
and yet survive him. 

H. S. Z. MATTHIAS. 

The press lias not only recorded the history of advancement, but has 
also ever been the leader in the work of progress and improvement, — the 
vanguard of civilization. The philosopher of some centuries ago> proclaimed 
the truth that '"the pen is mightier than the sword," and the statement is 
continually being verified in the affairs of life. In molding public opinion 
the power of the newspaper cannot be estimated, but at all events its influ- 
ence is greater than any other single agency. In the history of Crawford 
c< nutty therefore an account of the Galion Inquirer should form an important 
factor, and as the paper is the mirror of the thought, effort and labor of its 
editor, the history of Mr. Matthias well deserves place in the annals of his 
native county. 

He was born in Sandusky township May 21. 1844, on what is now 
known as the "Old Biddle Farm," east of Kinsely Springs. His father, the 
late M. Matthias, was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and at 





i*^ 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 107 

an early age accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio, the family 
taking up their abode upon a farm in Stark county, where at the age of twenty- 
five years Mr. Matthias was married to Miss Frances Bryfogle, of the same 
comity, who had removed to this state from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, 
with her parents. For a number of years Mr. and Mrs. Matthias resided in 
Stark count}', but in 1837 came to Crawford county, accompanied by four 
children, who had been born to them in their first home. While residing' 
on the Biddle farm three children were added to the family, one of whom was 
the subject of this sketch. At ( i-alion two more children were born, making 
nine in all. The parents both died a number of years ago. 

Mr. Matthias, of this review, was about three and a half years of age 
when his parents sold their farm to the late Rev. Alexander Biddle and 
removed to a farm on the Columbus and Portland state road, one mile north- 
west of Galion, where, at the age of about five years H. S. Z. Matthias lost 
the use of his lower limbs from the effects of scarlet fever. A year later 
his parents sold their farm and removed to Galion, where they purchased 
and conducted the Franklin House, and old-time tavern. This move was 
made principally for the purpose of securing better educational facilities 
for the cripple boy, and there in the private and public schools he received 
the mental discipline and training which fitted him for his life work. With 
great ambition and an indomitable will the boy grew to young - manhood, and 
on the 7th of January, 1864, he purchased the only printing office in Galion, 
entering the field of journalism as the youngest editor in Ohio. He success- 
fully conducted the Galion District Democrat and several other newspapers,. 
and for the past twenty-four years he has been part owner and editor of 
the Galion Inquirer, a weekly Democratic paper, and for nine years the 
editor of the Evening Inquirer, which is the daily issue of the journal. He 
has always been devoted to his work and starting out in a modest way he 
has steadily improved his papers until to-day they are among the brightest 
and best journals published in the state, being gems in mechanical and typo- 
graphical appearance. 

On the 26th of November. 1868. Mr. Matthias was united in marriage 
to Miss Delia French, at Mount Vernon, Knox county, and they now have 
two children, Verna, who is now the wife of B. A. Baker, and George G.. who 
is his father's assistant in the recorder's office. Mr. Matthias has never held 
any public position except that of recorder, although he was elected justice of 
the peace in 1893. He refused to serve, however, on account of the duties' 
of the office interfering with his business. In the spring of 1896 he was, 

6 



ioS CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

nominated on the Democratic ticket for the position of county recorder and 
was elected to that office the following- November by a plurality of two thou- 
sand, seven hundred and eighty-seven votes, leading the ticket by forty-nine 
more than were cast for William J. Bryan. He assumed the duties of the 
office September 6, 1897, and in the spring of 1898 he was nominated for 
a second term, being re-elected the following fall. In his official duties he 
has been punctual, careful and obliging, and has given the best of satisfaction 
in every respect. 

Fraternallv Air. Matthias is a member of Gabon Lodge, No. 215, I. O. 
O. F., and of Lebanon Encampment, Xo. 123. While he has always been 
a very busy man, he has found time to devote to literary pursuits outside 
of his newspaper work. He has written a number of very creditable poems. 
He reads widely, is a deep thinker and carefully digests what he reads. 
Through the columns of his paper he has had marked influence in promoting 
public interests in Crawford county, and has ever been found the champion 
of reform, improvement and advancement. 

HENRY SCHIEBER. 

Among the successful farmers and highly esteemed citizens of Liberty 
township, Crawford county, Henry Schieber takes a leading position. He 
was born in this township on May 24, i860, and was the second son of Jacob 
and Eva (Mauer) Schieber, to whom nine children were born. The survivors 
are: John, Jr., of Bucyrus, Ohio; Henry, of this sketch; David S., of Bucy- 
rus; Emanuel, of Liberty township; Mary, the wife of Frederick Hieber, of 
Libert)- township; Elizabeth, wife of John Hieber, of Liberty township; and 
Samuel Abraham, of Holmes township. The father was born in \\ urtem- 
berg, Germany, on May 19, 183 1, a son of Gottleib and Magdalena (Brose) 
Schieber, who emigrated to the United States in 1832, settling in Liberty town- 
ship. The father of our subject was only one year old when brought by his 
parents to America ; and as he was the youngest son who grew to maturity he 
remained with his parents until his twenty-fourth year, assisting in clearing 
the land. On June 14. 1855. he was united in marriage to Miss Eva Mauer, 
and he continued to farm on his father's land during the following- year. In 
1856 he purchased eighty acres of land in Liberty township, twenty of which 
had been cleared, on which stood a log cabin, and here Mr. Schieber moved 
his family, both he and wife energetically laboring to make this a comfortable 
home. Prosperity rewarded their efforts, and later they added thirty-seven 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 109 

and one-half acres and eighty more purchased in Liberty township. Grad- 
ually additions made to the farm increased it to two hundred and eighty-seven 
acres ; and as time went on, each year saw improvements added, in the way of 
excellent buildings, fences, and planting of orchards, the estate being finally 
regarded as one of the most desirable in the township. In the meantime Mr. 
Schieber had made himself well known and had gained the confidence of his 
fellow-citizens to such a degree that he was made township trustee for a 
period of two years, faithfully performing the duties. He was long a valued 
member of the Lutheran church. His death occurred November 4, 1883. 

The estimable widow of the late Jacob Schieber, Martha Mauer Schieber, 
was born on June 21, 1835, in Stark county, Ohio, and was but two weeks old 
when her parents removed to Crawford county. Her father, Jacob Mauer, 
emigrated from Germany, with his wife and one child, settling in Stark 
county, subsequently removing to this county, where he died, leaving a widow 
who later married Simeon Price. Mrs. Schieber now makes her home with 
Mrs. John Hieber, of this township, one of her daughters. She is the only 
survivor of a family of six children. 

Henry Schieber, our immediate subject, grew up to honest labor on the 
home farm and acquired his education in the common schools, remaining at 
home until his twenty-first year and then was given regular wages. On Feb- 
ruary 29, 1884, he was married to Miss Elizabeth S. Plieiderer, a daughter of 
Daniel Pfleiderer, who was a son of Jacob Pfleiderer ; a sketch of the last men- 
tioned appears in another part of this volume. After marriage Air. Schieber 
and his bride removed to Holmes township, where he rented a farm of eighty 
acres, and upon that they lived for eighteen months, and there his young wife 
died and he returned to Liberty township and took charge of the home farm 
and remained there a number of months. 

On October 3, 1900, our subject contracted a second marriage, this time 
with Mrs. William O. Steen, formerly Miss Clara C. Pfleiderer, a daughter 
of David Pfleiderer, and then Mr. Schieber purchased his present home farm, 
which consists of eighty acres, and has carried on general farming and stock- 
raising ever since. Mrs. Schieber's first husband was a son of William 
Steen, one of the early settlers of Crawford county. One child was born to 
this marriage, Rufus D. Steen, May 1, 1892. 

Politically Mr. Schieber is a prominent member of the Democratic ranks. 
Both he and his estimable wife are valued and consistent members of the 
Evangelical church, where they are known to be kind, charitable and devoted 



no CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Christians. Mr. Schieber has a tine farm, is esteemed in the community,. 
happy in domestic life, a valued member of the church, and thus represents the 
best class of citizens. 

TILGHMAN GEORGE. 

An eminently successful and thoroughly representative farmer of Holmes 
township, Crawford county, is Tilghman George, who was born in North- 
ampton county, Pennsylvania, on May 12, 1834, and was a son of Jacob G. 
and Elizabeth (Houpt) George. Jacob G. George was born in Northampton 
county, Pennsylvania, where he grew to manhood and learned the trade of 
shoemaker. In 1852 he emigrated to Ohio, settling in McCutchenville in 
Wyandot county, where he remained but a short time, going then to Lykens 
township, in Crawford county, where he rented a farm, placed his sons in 
charge of it while he continued to work at his trade. About 1858 he re- 
moved to Seneca county and here rented a farm of one hundred and sixty 
acres, continuing to engage in farming and shoemaking. About seven years 
after his last removal his first wife died, and some time later he married a Mrs. 
Trombold, formerly a Miss Elizabeth Yeager, who was a native of Lehigh 
county, Pennsylvania. Shortly after this marriage he removed to Tiffin, 
Ohio, where he worked at his trade for many years. After the death of his 
second wife he made his home with our subject and his other son, William, 
until the time of his decease, in his eighty-second year. He was always an 
ardent Democrat, and a consistent member of the German Reformed church. 
His first marriage had been to Elizabeth Houpt, and they became the parents- 
of eight children. Those living are Tilghman, our subject; William, of this 
township; James, of Tiffin, Ohio; Elizabeth, the wife of Julius Deal, also of 
Tiffin, Ohio ; and Stephen, of the same place, while the three deceased are 
Apecena, who married a Mr. Sloat, and died in Indiana; and two daughters 
died in girlhood. 

Our subject was reared on a farm and had but limited opportunities for 
acquiring an education. In May, 1852, he left his parental home and came 
to Ohio, reaching McCutchenville on May 5th, and during the following sum- 
mer worked as a farm hand ; but when his father arrived, five months later, he 
assisted him in the shoe shop, accompanying the family in its removal to 
Lvkens township. The following summer was spent in work on the farm, 
and the winter in work at shoemaking. In November, 1857, our subject was 
married to Miss Sarah Miller, who was a native of Holmes township and was 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. in 

were among the earliest settlers of Holmes township. 

the daughter of Jonathan and Anna (Shupp) Miller. Mr. and Mrs. Miller 

The winter following his marriage was spent by Mr. George in hauling 
cord wood for the Pennsylvania Railroad, with an ox team which he had 
purchased, but in the following spring he removed to Wyandot county, where 
he conducted a shoe shop through the summer, and returned to Crawford 
county in the autumn. He again opened up a shoe shop, and conducted it in 
Lykens township for a period of eighteen months, removing then to Seneca 
r.oi.mtv. where he rented a small farm and began to operate it. Here he 
farmed for some twelve years as a renter, continuously, with the exception 
of one summer spent in Holmes township. At the expiration of his ten years 
as a renter, Mr. George purchased a farm of fifty-five acres and operated this 
for two years, selling it then to locate in Crawford county, where he pur- 
chased seventy-one and one-half acres, his present home farm. During his 
earlv farming experiences, Mr. George operated a threshing machine, with 
success, for several years. His land has been well cultivated and his methods 
•of farming meet with the commendation of his neighbors who in friendly 
spirit rejoice in his prosperity. 

To Mr. and Mrs. George were born seven children, six of whom sur- 
vive, as follows : William, of Seneca county, Ohio; Wesley, a baggagemaster 
for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, at Chicago; John, of Holmes township; 
Anna, the wife of Reuben R. McBride, of Van Wert, Ohio; Raleieh, of 
Wyandot county, Ohio; and Rosetta, the wife of Abraham Schaal, of Mar- 
shall county, Indiana. Mr. George has been a life-long Democrat, but is lib- 
eral in his views. For two terms he faithfully served the township as trustee, 
and he is one of the leading members of the Evangelical church, having held 
.almost all of its lay offices, discharging the duties most efficientlv. 

AXDREW J. HARVEY. 

Andrew Jackson Harvey was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, 
August 14, 1817, and is a son of Thomas and Frances (Bartley) Harvey, who 
were also natives of the same county and there the father died in 1830 at the 
age of fifty-three years. He was a son of Thomas Harvey, who came to the 
United States from Ireland at an early period in the development of our coun- 
try's history. On the maternal side, our subject is also of Irish lineage. 

Andrew J. Harvey is one of a family of fourteen children, eleven of 
whom reached mature years. He was reared upon a farm and pursued his 



H2 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

education in the common schools in a log school house. He was only four- 
teen years of age at the time of his father's death. The mother and her chil- 
dren came to Ohio in 1835 and settled in Crawford county, where Mrs. Harvey 
died when about sixty-seven years of age. Here our subject has since resided, 
and throughout his entire business career he has carried on agricultural pur- 
suits. For about eighteen years he also operated a threshing machine and 
owned the second thresher ever used in the county. Until 1846 he resided in 
Whetstone township, but has since made his home in Bucyrus township, where 
he owns two hundred and eleven acres of fine land. 

When thirty-six years of age Mr. Harvey was united in marriage to 
Miss Maria McCracken, but she lived only a year afterward, and three years 
later he wedded Elizabeth Price, by whom he had six children now living, 
namely : Olive, Lawrence Lincoln, Minnie May, Ulysses Grant, Clay Mc- 
Cracken and Ida Annetta. In his political views Mr. Harvey is a stalwart 
Republican, but has never sought office, preferring to give his time and atten- 
tion to his business affairs. In his work he has prospered, and as the years 
have passed, he has added continually to his income so that he is to-day the 
possessor of a handsome competence. He has now reached the age of eighty- 
four years — a venerable old gentleman, honored and esteemed by all who 
know him. 

. JOHN G. MYERS. 

Prominent among the progressive, intelligent and broad-minded citizens 
of Holmes township, is John G. Myers, who* is well and favorably known 
through Crawford county, having been for many years one of its most popular 
teachers. Mr. Myers was born in Berkeley county, Virginia, which is now in- 
cluded in West Virginia, on February 6, 1826, a son of John L. and Margaret 
(Fiser) Myers, and was a member of a family of eight children, the survivors 
of whom are: Susan L., the widow of Nathaniel Heaton, now a resident of 
Seneca county, Ohio; John G., of this biography; and Isaiah and Margaret 
P., both members of our subject's household. The father, John L. Myers, 
was born in Berkeley county, Virginia, a son of Henry and Susan Myers, 
natives of the same place, the former being a veteran of the Revolutionary war. 
In the fall of 1832, John L. Myers, with his family of six children, his parents 
and one sister, emigrated to Ohio, settling in Richland county, where they spent 
the succeeding winter, in the spring of 1833 locating near Melmore, in what 
was then a part of Crawford county but now is included in Seneca county.. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 113 

There Mr. Myers bought eighty acres of land, upon which was a hewed-log 
cabin and a recently erected log barn, paying for it five hundred dollars. 
Some four acres of the land had been cleared, but the balance was still virgin 
forest. Here the father of our subject passed his life, showing his aged parents 
a most filial regard and caring for them until their lives ended, when at ad- 
vanced age. John L. Myers died about 1846. His life had been a busy and 
useful one. Reared in a slave state, he always adhered to the belief that the 
negro could never learn self-government, and continued all his life a pro- 
slavery man. His religious connection was with the Methodist church. The 
mother, a daughter of Michael Fiser, also was born in Berkeley county. 

John G. Myers grew up in his pleasant home, with a decidedly studious 
bent of mind. After completing the common-school course he was given edu- 
cational advantages at the Ashland Academy, and at Republic, where he was 
under the instruction of Professor Harvey and also his assistant, Professor 
Schuyler, the author of Schuyler's Arithmetic. A short time was spent at 
Delaware, but sickness compelled his return home. Prior to his twenty-first 
year Mr. Myers began teaching school and continued with marked success in 
this profession for fifteen or twenty years, teaching in every school in Holmes 
township except the one in district No. 3. 

In 1855 Mr. Myers purchased eighty acres of land in section 30, Holmes 
township, where he resided from 1856 to 1858, in the latter year selling this 
farm and buying sixty acres of the present home farm. Some years later he 
purchased forty acres across the road from his other possessions, making his 
present ownership of land about one hundred acres. 

In politics Mr. Myers is a stanch Republican and has twice efncientlv 
served as assessor of the township and several terms as a member of the election 
board. He is held in high esteem in this section and has a wide circle of 
friends, both in public and private life. 

ROBERT WILLIAM KERR. 

Among the prosperous young agriculturists of Bucyrus township is 
Robert William Kerr, who is successfully cultivating a fine farm of ninety 
acres. Air. Kerr is a native of Ohio, born in Wyandot county on Septem- 
ber 22, 1872, a son of John and Alice (Chambers) Kerr, the former of 
whom was born in Marion county and the latter in Wyandot county. For 
many years John Kerr was a successful and extensive farmer, but is now 
one of the respected retired citizens of Bucvrus. 



ii4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Robert W. Kerr was reared on a farm and received his primary educa- 
tion in the common schools, supplementing this with a period at a military 
school in Orchard Lake. Michigan, and later by a course in a business col- 
lege in Poughkeepsie, New York. For several years Mr. Kerr was variously 
employed, undecided as to the choice of a career. He was a member of Com- 
pany A, Eighth Ohio National Guards, and when this company was called 
into service in 1898, in the war of the United States with Spain, he went with 
his company to Cuba as a corporal. His command landed at Sibona, but it 
saw no active service. Corporal Kerr was very fortunate, as his excellent 
constitution prevented him from falling ill of Cuban fever; nevertheless he 
returned with his company with a well nigh broken constitution, reaching 
home in September, 1898, and was mustered out of the service in November, 
1898. 

In the spring of 1899 ^ r - Kerr rented a fine and productive farm from his 
father, which he has successfully operated ever since. On March 20, 1900, 
he was married to Miss Jessie Strawbridge, a most estimable young lady, who 
ably assists him in dispensing the hospitality of their pleasant country home. 
Unto the marriage a son, John Milton, has been born. 

JOHN A. CHESNEY, M. D. 

One of the exacting of all the higher lines of occupation to which a man 
may lend his energies is that of the physician. A most scrupulous preliminary 
training is demanded, and a nicety of judgment little understood by the laity. 
Then, again, the profession firings one of its devotees into almost constant 
association with the sadder side of life, — that of pain and sufferings, — so that 
a mind capable of great self control and a heart responsive and sympathetic 
are essential attributes of him who would essay the practice of the healing 
art. Thus when professional success is attained in any instance it may be 
taken as certain that such measure of success has been thoroughlv merited. 

Dr. Chesney was born in Marseilles, Wyandot county, Ohio, November 
10, 1857, and is of Scotch lineage. His parents were John M. and Jumelia 
(Thompson) Cbesnev. His paternal grandfather, John Chesney, was a 
native of Scotland and became the founder of the family in America. He 
married Elizabeth Mahon, and unto them, in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, 
on the 31st of May, 1825, was born a son, to whom they gave the name of 
John M. The latter was educated in an academy at Jamestown, Pennsyl- 
vania, and studied medicine under the direction of his brother, Dr. Robert 





& .u<?L~-~-^ Jkf x Q 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 117 

Chesnev, of Shelocta. From 1853 until 1876 he was engaged in practice in 
Marseilles, Ohio, and prior to that time had been a member of the medical 
fraternity in Kenton and in Huntersville, Ohio. In 1876 he came to Bucyrus 
and established a drug store, which he conducted up to the time of his death, 
in 1883. He wedded Jumelia Thompson, a daughter of James and Eliza- 
beth Thompson, who came from Lynchburg', Virginia, and settled in Marion, 
Ohio, where Mrs. Chesney was born. Her father was a colonel in a Vir- 
ginia regiment during the Mexican war. In Marion he took quite an active 
part in public affairs, and at one time served as sheriff of his county. His 
death occurred a number of years ago. 

Dr. Chesney. whose name introduces this record, pursued his literary 
education in Wooster University, of Wooster. Ohio, and, determining to 
make the practice of medicine his life work, he then began study in the office 
and under the direction of Dr. Cuvkendall, in 1876. Subsequently he entered 
the Columbus Medical College and was graduated at that institution with the 
class of 1879. In 1880 he became connected in practice with Dr. J. N. 
Richie, of Oceola. their relation being maintained until 1881, when Dr. 
Chesnev completed his medical studies in Xew York, in the College of Physi- 
cians and Surgeons, where he graduated in 1882. He then formed a partner- 
ship with Dr. Thrift, of Lima. Ohio, at that time a leading physician in that 
city and a professor in the Fort Wayne Medical College. Owing to his 
father s death Dr. Chesney came to Bucyrus and has since practiced his pro- 
fession in this city with excellent success. His reputation is not limited 
by the confines of the county and his practice has extended into adjoining 
counties. He has very superior ability as a surgeon, and the fraternity as 
well as the public, accord him a foremost place as a representative of the 
medical science. In 1883 he declined the chair of physiology in the Fort 
Wayne Medical College. In connection with his private practice he has 
served as division Aurgeon for the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad for 
the past sixteen years, is local surgeon of the Pennsylvania Railroad, also 
for the Columbus, Sandusky & Flocking Railroad. He was one of the organ- 
izers of the National Association of Surgeons, and as a student he is contin- 
ually carrying his investigations into broader realms of medical knowledge. 
Each year finds him further advanced on the road to perfection in his pro- 
fession. He is also identified with other lines of business activity, is presi- 
dent of the Caledonia Deposit Bank, of Marion county, Ohio, and is a 
director in the First National Bank of Bucyrus. He is also president of the 
Broken Sword Stone Company. 



n8 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

In T887 Dr. Chesney was united in marriage to Miss Cora Rouse, a 
daughter of William and Catherine Rouse. Her death occurred in 1892, 
and a daughter, Edith, was left to mourn her loss. In 1898 the Doctor was 
again married, his second union being with Mrs. Celia B. Mulford, of Han- 
over, New Jersey. In the summer of 1900 the Doctor and his wife visited 
Europe, traveling over a portion of the continent and visiting" many places of 
Historic and modern interest. Theirs ; is one of the tasteful and finely 
appointed homes of Bucyrus, and he also has a splendidly equipped office, 
supplied with all modern accessories that prove of aid and value in the line 
of his profession. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order 
of Elks and of the Masonic and Knights of Pythias fraternities. A man of 
scholarly attainments and broad general information, he is not only a leader 
in professional circles but is held in high esteem in fraternal and social circles,. 
and enjoys the warm regard of all with whom he is associated. 

CHRISTIAN F. BIRK. 

To achieve renown in the political field there must be something sub- 
stantial on which to base aspirations and something more than the desire to 
attain prominence. A man must possess a strict sense of honor, a firm con- 
viction that he is capable of performing the duties to which he is assigned and 
1: st have the welfare of his community and constituents at heart, sacrificin * 
his personal interests \, those of the people. For more than a quarter of a 
century Mr. Birk has been identified with the Democracy and has labored untir- 
ingly to promote its growth and to secure the adoption of its platform. Many 
times has he been honored with positions of public trust and responsibility, 
and in these he has ever been found faithful to his duty. He is now serving as 
mayor of Bucyrus and handles the reins of city government in a manner that 
has promoted the welfare and progress of the municipality. 

One of the native sons of Bucyrus, Christian F. Birk was born April 29, 
1852, a son of John G. Birk, who was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, anct 
came to the United States in 1845. After living for a time in Albany, New 
York, he went to Tuscarawas county, Ohio. In 1847 ne came to Bucyrus, and 
here followed' harness-making many years. From 1874 to 1876 he served 
as treasurer of Crawford county. His death occurred November 10, 1888. 
In 1851 he married Miss Joanna Kuhn, also a native of Germany and a rep- 
resentative of one of the pioneer families of Crawford county, her people 
having come to this section of Ohio in 1836. Her death occurred in October, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 119 

1893, when she had attained the age of sixty-five years. In their family were 
the following named : Christian F., of this review ; George M., who is en- 
gaged in the drug business with his brother; Christian F. ; Emanuel R., who is 
now proprietor of the harness shop established by his father and is doing a 
very extensive business, making sales in various portions of the state and even 
beyond its borders; Lewis C, who is foreman in the harness store; and Eliza- 
beth, the wife of F. P. Donnenwirth, a retired citizen of Bucyrus. 

Christian F. Birk, whose name forms the caption of this review, acquired 
a common-school education in Bucyrus, and at the age of fourteen began 
assisting his father in the harness shop, where he mastered the business both in 
principle and detail. For several years he was a partner with his father in 
the enterprise, under the firm name of J. G. Birk & Son. For fifty-three years 
the business has been continued as the Birks Harness Store and is one of the 
most successful commercial institutions of the city, being now conducted by 
two of the sons of the former. In 1892 our subject and his younger 
brother, G. M. Birk, established a drug store, which they are still conducting. 
They carry a large and well selected stock of goods and their business methods 
are such that those who once become their customers remain as regular patrons. 
Their sales are constantly increasing and the proprietors therefore enjoy a 
good income. Our subject is also connected with the Board of Trade. In 
Bucyrus, in 1873, was celebrated the marriage of Christian F. Birk and Miss 
Bertha S. Volk, a daughter of William F. Volk, who came to Crawford county 
about sixty years ago. They now have three children : John W., a graduate of 
a commercial course in Chicago, was the first lieutenant in Company A, of 
the Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the Spanish-American war and 
served at Santiago, being present at the time of the surrender of the city; 
Carry Elizabeth is now the wife of G. W. Kerr, of Wrightsville, Pennsylvania ; 
and Edna T. is a teacher in the schools of Bucyrus. The mother died August 
10, 1898, a month after her son sailed for Cuba, and while he was still on the 
Island. Socially Mr. Birk is connected with Knights of Pythias fraternity, 
and with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He also belongs to the 
German Lutheran church and in his political affiliations is a stalwart Demo- 
crat, unswerving in his support of the party. When only twenty-three years of 
age he was elected to the city council and after an interval he was chosen, in 
1896, for a second term of two years. He served as city marshal from 1884 
until 1890, and in the latter year entered upon a four years' term as county 
sheriff. His fellow townsmen conferred upon him the highest honor within 
their power when, in 1898, he was elected mayor of Bucyrus, and two years 



120 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

later they again called him to the same position, a fact which indicates how 
faithfully he had served them, his administration being practical, progressive 
and beneficial. Public spirited, he has withheld his support from no measure 
that he believes will promote the welfare and' substantial advancement of 
Bucyrus, and his discriminating mind enables him to judge correctly of the 
value to the city of any measure introduced. Over the record of his public 
life and private career there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil, 
and he is rich in those qualities which win and retain personal friendships. 

FREMONT F. STURTZ. 

Fremont F. Sturtz was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, 
August 8, 1857, an( l ^ s tne youngest of five children of Solomon and Elizabeth 
(Kennel) Sturtz. His father was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, near 
Harrisburg, August 22, 1821, and his youth was spent upon the old home 
farm there. He afterward went to Westmoreland county when a young man, 
and was there married to Miss Elizabeth Kennel. Their children were Joseph, 
of Fayette county, Pennsylvania; Susan, the wife of Peter Stoner, of Scott- 
dale, Fayette county; Samuel, of Crawford county, Ohio; Elizabeth, the wife 
Emanuel Hess, of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania ; and Freeman F. For 
some years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Sturtz resided upon a rented 
farm. In 1857 tne wife and mother died, and in 1859 the father married Mrs. 
Barbara Davis, the widow of Solomon Davis. Her maiden name was Bar- 
bara Brooks. By the second marriage there are three children: Malinda, 
the widow of James Bodley, of Plymouth, Ohio; Dolly A., who married Henry 
Morton, of Shelby, Ohio; and George B., of Bucyrus. Soon after his second 
marriage Solomon Sturtz purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres 
in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and continued its cultivation until 1865, when 
he came to Crawford county, locating in Liberty township. Here he rented 
land until 1887, since which time he has lived retired in Whetstone township. 
In early life he was a Republican, but since coming to Ohio has joined the 
Democratic ranks. Religiously he is connected with the Evangelical church. 

When only eight years of age Fremont F. Sturtz was bound out to a 
man by the name of Jehu Davis, in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and 
with him our subject remained until eighteen years of age, when he entered 
upon an independent business career. For three years he was employed as 
a farm hand by Mr. Laucks, of Westmoreland county, and in December, 1878, 
lie came to Crawford county, Ohio. During the three succeeding years he 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 121 

worked by the month for his brother. On the 17th of February, 1881, he was 
joined in wedlock to Miss Ella J. Charlton, a daughter of John E. and Laura 
E. ( Lones) Charlton. Her father was born on the farm where our subject now 
resides, December 18, 1830, and was a son of John Charlton, who came to 
Crawford count}- among its first settlers, making the journey hither from 
Maryland. He entered eighty acres of government land, upon which Mr. 
Sturtz now resides. After his death this farm was purchased by John E. 
Charlton, who afterward bought an adjoining forty acres, so that the farm 
comprised one hundred and twenty acres. It remained his place of residence 
up to the time of his death, and he also purchased another farm of ninety acres 
on the Bucyrus road. He voted with the Republican party and in religion was 
a stanch member of the Evangelical church, in which he "held different offices 
for many years. His death occurred July 12, 1897. He had three children: 
Ella J.; Joseph E„ of North Enid, Oklahoma; and Wilbur ]., who is in the 
employ of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad. 

Soon after his marriage Mr. Sturtz took charge of his father-in-law's 
farm, which he operated up to the time of the latter's death, when J. E. Charl- 
ton was appointed administrator of the estate. When the business was settled 
up our subject purchased the old homestead of one hundred and twenty acres, 
and he and his wife are now thereon rearing- their children, namely : Melvin 
Roy, Florence E. and Milton Clare. 

Mr. Sturtz votes the Republican ticket and is a stanch supporter of the 
principles of the party. He, too, belongs to the Evangelical church, in which 
he has served as trustee, and socially he is connected with Sulphur Springs 
Tent, No. 298, K. O. T. M. At the tender age of eight years he started out 
to make his own way in the world and has since depended entirely upon his 
own resources. Whatever success he has achieved has resulted from his 
labors and his energy, guided by sound judgment. His career has ever been 
upright and honorable, winning- him the confidence and good will of those with 
whom he has been brought in contact. 

SAMUEL SPONSELLER. 

Samuel Sponseller is one of the influential and esteemed citizens of Craw- 
ford county, where he owns and operates a well cultivated and productive farm 
of one hundred and ninety-six acres of land, in Liberty township. His birth 
was on the farm where he now resides, on December 31, 1836, a son of 
Michael and Susanna ( Mentzer) Sponseller, and is one of a family of eleven 



122 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

children born to his parents, ten of whom grew to maturity and rive of whom 
still survive, viz. : Susanna, the widow of Martin Brown, resides near Dixon, 
Indiana; Emanuel is a farmer of Hancock county, Ohio; Henry is a farmer of 
Kosciusko county, Indiana; Reuben is a farmer of Defiance county, Ohio; and 
Samuel, of this sketch. 

The father, Michael Sponseller, came to Crawford county from Colum- 
biana county about 183 1, having been married there, and eight of the children 
were born there. Upon his arrival in this county he purchased eighty acres 
of land, where our subject now resides. This was owned by his brother-in- 
law, John Mentzer. Then he entered the eighty acres adjoining this on the 
west, and soon after purchased another eighty acres on the south, making his 
farm one of two hundred and forty acres. In 1858 he built a commodious 
farm residence and the year following he erected a substantial and sightly 
barn, making his property one of the best improved in this locality. The 
mother died in 1858 and the father contracted a second marriage, with Mrs. 
Maria Hatton, who survived him some seven years. The father died in 1874, 
having been one of the thoroughly respected citizens of the township. In 
his early days he was a Democrat, but cast his first Republican vote for 
Abraham Lincoln, and ever after voted and worked for that pari)-. 

Our subject, Samuel Sponseller, grew up and spent his boyhood on the 
old farm, gaining his education in the schools of the locality, with one summer 
at the Haysville Academy, and at the age of twenty-two took charge and 
managed the home farm for his father. In i860, on the 18th of April, he was 
united in marriage with one of the fair daughters of this county, Miss Sarah 
A. Kling, a native of Cranberry township, the daughter of Moses Kling, who 
for fifteen years was -a well known justice of the peace in his township. After 
his marriage our subject remained on the home place and continued to manage 
it successfully, but about 1870 he bought forty acres of the home farm, which 
he cultivated until his father's death, when he purchased the old place of one 
hundred and twenty acres, from the other heirs, the father having previously 
disposed of eighty acres to his son Emanuel, and still later our subject bought 
of his brother eighteen and one-half acres, and also seventeen and one-half of 
the Daniel Chambers farm, making his acreage one hundred and ninety-six 
acres, which is desirably located in section 20. 

Mr. Sponseller has displayed great energy, judgment and industry in the 
acquisition of so large a farm, but he thoroughly understands the management 
and care of it and enjoys the ownership of not only one of the most productive 
but also one of the most attractive farms of the countv. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 123 

To Mr. and Mrs. Sponseller have been born three children, two of whom, 
Sylvanus E. and James, are deceased, the survivor being William H., a farmer 
of Bucyrus township. Although not a member, Mr. Sponseller is a liberal 
supporter of the German Baptist church, of which his estimable wife is a con- 
sistent member and he is an attendant on the services. A life-long Republican, 
he has taken an active interest in the success of his party and its men an 
plans, believing the principles advocated by it to be the best for the country at 
large. Several years he served as a member of the school board and is re- 
garded as one of the safe and reliable advisers in educational matters. The 
esteem in which he is held is general, and he may be justly regarded as a 
representative man of Crawford county. 

WILLIAM A. ECKERT. 

Among the successful and highly esteemed farmer citizens of Dallas 
township, Crawford county, is William A. Eckert, who was born in Wyandot 
county, Ohio, on August 1, 185 1, a son of the late Nathaniel H. and Emeline 
(Decker) Eckert. 

Nathaniel H. Eckert was born in Syracuse, New York, on August 4, 
1 8 19, and was reared and educated in his native state. When about thirty 
years of age he came to Ohio and bought forty acres of land in W r yandot 
county, near Nevada, and upon that farmed for some nine or ten years. 
Selling that tract he bought fifty-five acres just east of Nevada and here he 
farmed until 1867, when he came to Dallas township and bought ninety-five 
acres in section 24 and later fifty-five acres in section 25. For several years 
he lived on the former tract and about twenty-five years ago built a residence 
on the south side of the road, on the other tract, and lived upon it until his 
death, with the exception of about two. years' residence in Nevada. 

The marriage of Mr. Eckert was to Emeline Decker, who was born in 
Crawford county, Ohio, her parents being pioneer settlers of the county. 
Her death took place on September 3, 1892, her husband surviving until 
April 25, 1900. Their children were William A., Marietta, Caroline, Delia 
Jane, Sarah Loetta and George E., the latter a farmer of Bucyrus township. 
Only William A. and George survive. 

Although Mr. Eckert began life with limited means, by industry and 
good business management he became a substantial farmer and stock-raiser. 
Before his death he added still another fifty-acre tract to his estate and was 
thus one of the large land owners of the county. In politics he was a Re- 



i2 4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

publican and for many years was a leading member of the United Brethren 
church, and was a man who enjoyed the respect and esteem of the whole 
neighborhood. 

William A. Eckert, the most worthy son of this estimable father, was 
reared on the farm, and was educated at the State Deaf and Mute Institute 
at Columbus, Ohio. His home has always been in Dallas township since his 
parents came to Crawford county. 

Mr. Eckert was married on December y, 1880, to Bertha O. Sohlke, 
who was born in Germany, a daughter of Christian and Emma Sohlke, who 
emigrated to America when Bertha was four years old. They settled in 
New York, but later removed to London, Ohio, later to Putnam county, 
where thev died. Mrs. Eckert was also educated in the hue institution for 
the mutes at Columbus, and there formed the acquaintance of her husband. 
Three bright, entertaining and well educated children form the home circle 
for Mr. and Mrs. Eckert, — Callie, Victoria and Robert Ray. Mr. Eckert 
has been a successful farmer, is a Republican voter and is one of the most 
highly respected citizens of the township. 

TARLINGTON B. CARSON. 

Tarlington B. Carson is now serving as postmaster of New Washington 
and is one of the honored pioneer settlers of Crawford county, whose growth 
and progress he has witnessed from an early period, having located within 
its borders when civilization had hardly gained a foothold, much of the land 
being in its primitive condition, while the work of development and improve- 
ment lay in the future. A wonderful transformation has since occurred, 
and the forests have been replaced by waving fields of grain, giving evidence 
oi the care of enterprising agriculturists ; towns and villages have also been 
founded and have been supplied with all of the accessories known to the 
older east. 

Mr. Carson was born in Venus township, Seneca county, Ohio, June 7, 
1837, his parents being" Samuel and Elizabeth (Willoughby) Carson, both of 
whom are of German-Irish descent, and were natives of Virginia, but were 
married in Harrison county, Ohio, in 18 14. In 1835 they removed to Seneca 
countv, locating in Venus township. The father entered a section of land 
and erected thereon a double log house, which served as the family residence 
for several years and was also used as a place of religious worship. Later 
a log schoolhouse was built in the neighborhood and it was used for church 




U^AJ^^^^^.ySTt^^n^. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 127 

as well as school purposes. Samuel Carson was a distant relative of the 
celebrated trapper and Indian fighter, Kit Carson. A man of very decided 
views and excellent judgment, he was in his day considered one of the most 
prominent "and intelligent residents of northern Ohio. In politics he was a 
Democrat until the election of Buchanan to the presidency. Entertaining 
strong abolition views and not being pleased with Buchanan's administra- 
tion, he enlisted under the banner of the new Republican party which was 
formed to prevent the further extension of slavery, and was identified with that 
organization from the early days of its history until his death. His fellow 
townsmen, recognizing his ability, frequently called him to positions of public 
trust, yet he was never an office-seeker. He had the high regard of his 
neighbors and friends and he left the impress of his individuality upon public 
thought, feeling, progress and advancement. His wife died in February, 
1866. She was very devoted and considerate in her relations with her hus- 
band and children and won the love of all. Her husband survived her until 
June of the following year, when he, too, passed away and was laid to rest 
by the side of the woman who had been to him a faithful companion and 
helpmeet on life's journey. They were both active and consistent members 
of the Methodist Protestant church, Mrs. Carson being most influential in 
carrying forward all church and charitable work. They became the parents 
of eleven children, namely: Robert, Jackson W., Annie, Harrison H., George, 
Margaret, Sarah, Hannah, Eliza, Samuel and Tarlington B. 

The last named is the immediate subject of this review, and is one of 
the well known citizens of Crawford county. His school privileges in youth 
were very meager, for he probably never attended more than forty days 
in any one year. At the time of his birth there were but five families in the 
school district, the country round about being a vast wilderness. He, however, 
mastered the common branches of the English course, and when twenty 
years of age he began teaching, which profession he followed for four years. 
Desiring to still further perfect his own knowledge, he then entered the 
Seneca Academy and he was also materially assisted in his studies by his two 
older brothers, who were teachers, and by his brother-in-law, Alanson Cory. 
who at that time was one of the ablest educators of this portion of the state. 
He had two brothers, Elarrison H. and George W., who were ministers of the 
Methodist Protestant and Freewill Baptist churches, respectively, and four 
of his sisters and three of his brothers were teachers. Mr. Carson eagerly 
continued his pursuit of knowledge, often studying far into the night, and by 
this means he acquired an excellent education. On the breaking out of the 



128 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Civil war he responded to his country's call and joined the boys in blue of 
Company H, Fourteenth Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, being mus- 
tered into the service on the 5th of September, 1861. Not long afterward 
the regiment joined the Army of the Cumberland, and he served his country 
faithfully throughout the war and participated in many engagements, among 
the most prominent of which were the battles of Chickamauga, Lookout 
Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Jonesboro, Wild Cat, Spring Mills and many 
others of lesser importance. He was also in the skirmishes around Pitts- 
burg Landing- and was in the battle of Tuscumbia, Alabama. He sustained 
two flesh wounds, one at Missionary Ridge and the other at Chickamauga, 
and on the close of his three years term of service was honorably discharged 
September 9, 1864, returning home with a most commendable record for 
valor and loyalty. 

After again reaching Ohio Mr. Carson purchased eighty acres of the 
farm upon which he was born, but in 1868 sold that property and for a year 
resided upon what was known as the Joseph Summerland farm. Later he 
removed to a farm of eighty acres, now owned by Samuel Willford, having 
purchased this property at the time he sold his first farm. He cleared and 
improved it, making it his home for seven years, when he found a purchaser 
for the property, and having disposed of it invested his money in another 
farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Cranberry township, which he still 
owns. During- the ten years of his residence thereon he cleared eighty acres, 
placing the tract under a high state of cultivation, but in March, 1886, he 
rented his land and removed to New Washington, taking up his abode in his 
present residence, which he rented for a year and then purchased. 

On the 2d of May, 1861, Mr. Carson was united in marriage to Miss 
Sarah R. Smith, a native of Venus township, Seneca county, and a daughter 
of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Bigam) Smith. By this marriage were born 
seven children, of whom three are yet living. During the earlier years of 
his business career Mr. Carson also engaged in teaching- in the public schools 
for twelve years in connection with his farming operations, and many of 
the prominent men of New Washington and vicinity were among his pupils. 
On the 15th of May, 1889, without solicitation on his part he was appointed 
postmaster of New Washington, and occupied the position until October 1, 
1893. On the 1 st of September, 1897, he was again appointed to the office 
and is the present incumbent. In his political views he is a stanch Republican, 
unswerving in his advocacy of the party which upheld the Union cause during 
the Civil war, and has ever been found on the side of progress and reform. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 129 

In 1894 he was solicited by many of his friends to become a candidate for 
the office of township trustee. At length he consented, and although the 
township is strongly Democratic he was elected by a majority of fifty-five 
votes. His party would have again given him the nomination, but he refused 
uncompromisingly to become a candidate. A member of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, he is an earnest Christian gentleman, whose business 
record, public career and private life are likewise above reproach or con- 
demnation. To the duties of the home, in commercial circles and when in office 
he is as true and loyal as when he was a Union soldier upon the battle-fields 
of the south. 

JACOB DENZER. 

Jacob Denzer, who has passed the eightieth milestone on life's journey, is 
one of the oldest citizens and most honored pioneers of Crawford county. He 
was born in Baden, Germany, May 13, 1821, a son of Andrew and Hester A. 
(Finfgelt) Denzer. The father also was born, reared and educated in Baden 
and served as a soldier under Napoleon Bonaparte, going with that general 
on the ill-fated expedition to Moscow, where thousands of his comrades fell. 
Unto him and his wife were born four sons and a daughter, namely : Andrew, 
Georg'e, Jacob, Mary and Simon. Two of the number died in fatherland and 
were buried in Upfingen, Baden. The father died about 1840, seven years 
after coming to this country, but the mother lived many years, passing away in 
1876, at the age of ninety- four years. 

It was in the autumn of 1833 that Jacob Denzer, then a lad of thirteen 
years, came with his parents and their family to- the new world. Not long 
after their arrival the)' became residents of Crawford county and the father 
purchased fifteen acres of timber land in Liberty township. This tract was 
then cleared and a log cabin was built the following- spring. Jacob Denzer 
began to earn his own living that spring by working as a farm hand, receiv- 
ing three and four dollars per month for his services. He was employed in 
that capacity until twenty-five years of age and gave his wages to Ins parents 
until he had attained his majority. At the age of twenty-five he began farm- 
ing on rented land, which he operated for three years. 

As a further preparation for a home of his own Mr. Denzer secured as a 
companion and helpmate for the journey of life Miss Matilda McNeal, of 
Crawford county, their marriage being celebrated on the 13th of March, 1850. 
The lady was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, December 6, 1826, 



13© CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and proved of great assistance to her husband in his work. After his mar- 
riage Mr. Denzer rented one farm for six years, and in the meantime he pur- 
chased thirty-eight acres of land. In 1863 he bought his present homestead 
— one of the best farms in the county, the purchase being made possible 
through the enterprise and energy of Mr. Denzer, who has labored consecu- 
tively and industriously, thus working his way upward to a position of 
affluence. For ten years he operated a sawmill, working the fields in the day 
time and running the mill by night and through the seasons in which he was 
not cultivating his crops. He thus prospered and became one of the exten- 
sive and representative farmers and stock-raisers of the county. He made 
ma..y improvements on his place, adding thereto all the accessories and con- 
veniences of the model farm. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Denzer were born the following children: Mary L., 
Jennie, Andrew, Esther, Simon J., Anson J., Ella, Alexander, Maggie, Lewis 
I. and Electa V. Two died in childhood — Florence and an infant son. In 
rearing their children Mr. Denzer and his wife brought up a family of sons and 
daughters who are a credit to their name, being valued and influential citizens 
of the respective communities in which they make their homes. Mr. Denzer 
cast his first presidential vote for Martin Van Buren and since that time has 
been a stalwart Democrat in his political views. For several years he has 
loved a retired life, owing to impaired health, and well he deserves his rest for 
he has passed the eightieth milestone on life's journey and his honorable, active 
and useful career descerves to be crowned with a period of rest. He is 
respected by all who know him, and his acquaintance has been a wide one 
through his residence of more than six decades in the county, which he has 
seen developed from a wild region into a splendidly developed tract of country, 
which has become the abiding place of a contented and prosperous people. 

LEWIS I. DENZER. 

Lewis I. Denzer is one of the native sons of Crawford county and is 
widely known among its citizens, where his educational work and his personal 
characteristics have made him popular and respected. He is a son of Jacob 
Denzer, an honored pioneer, whose sketch appears above. His birth occurred 
May i 2, i8(>/, on the old family homestead in Bucyrus township, where his fa- 
ther is still living. There our subject early became familiar with the duties 
and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He assisted in the cultiva- 
tion of the fields, the planting and harvesting of crops and in the winter season 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 131 

he pursued his education in the common schools. His preliminary course was 
supplemented by study in the Ohio Normal University, at Ada. He has fol- 
lowed his chosen vocation with success and for several years has been widely 
known as one of the most competent and popular teachers in the county. He 
is a follower of the Democracy, earnest and enthusiastic in support of the 
principles of his party, and on its ticket he has been elected for the second time 
to the office of township assessor of Bucyrus township, in which position he 
discharges his duties with promptness and fidelity. He still resides on the old 
family homestead, which is endeared to him through the associations of youth 
as well as those of his manhood. He is a member of the Junior Order of 
United American Mechanics. His acquaintance is extensive, his friends 
many, and among the young men of the county he holds a high place in public 
regard. 

Mrs. LOUISA MILLER. 

Perhaps there is no more highly esteemed resident of Holmes township 
than the most estimable lady whose name introduces this sketch. Born in 
Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, February 24, 1825, she has lived a long life 
filled with worthy deeds and has exerted an influence for good through the com- 
munity. Her parents were Cyrus and Margaret (Warner) Hacker, both of 
whom were natives of Dauphin county who emigrated with their family to 
Ohio, in 1835. Father Hacker purchased eighty acres of land in Liberty 
township, and settled down to make a living for his family. The soil was 
fertile, but it required hard work to clear the land, and only a portion of it was 
ready for cultivation when his death occurred, in 1848, when he was but 
forty-seven years old. His widow was left with a family of seven children 
to rear, under circumstances which would have completely crushed many a 
woman ; but Mrs. Hacker was made of strong nerve, took up her burden, man- 
aged her farm, reared her children to be capable and self-supporting and self- 
respecting men and women, and in her later years found a peaceful home with 
one of her excellent daughters in Indiana. 

Our subject grew up at her mother's side and was taught all the house- 
hold duties of the time, and the art of spinning and weaving she put into 
practice in later life, after marriage, when she wove all the cloth for family use, 
working frequently by firelight, and to those early efforts much of the success 
of Mr. Miller was due. In 1848 occurred the marriage of Louisa Hacker to 
Joseph Miller, and during the succeeding ten years he farmed for his father, 



132 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

on shares; but in 1858 he came to Crawford county and purchased eighty acres 
of land, in Holmes township, where the present Miller residence is located. 
The years that followed were years of hard work, but diligence and persever- 
ance had their final reward. The land was unimproved, and for eleven years 
a pioneer log cabin was the family home. In 1867 Mr. Miller erected a sub- 
stantial barn and two years later one of the best residences in the township. 
As he prospered he added eighty adjoining acres to his farm on the south, 
eighty more on the north and fifty a short distance east of his home farm, 
making his farming lands comprise about two hundred and ninety acres. 
During all these years, while life for Mrs. Miller was at its busiest and most 
demanding stages, for she was rearing her son and assisting in every way 
possible the business interests of her husband, Mrs. Miller was making a 
happy home and becoming a beloved neighbor in the rapidly growing com- 
munity. Mr. Miller died on January 28, 1897, a man of sterling worth, with 
a name which was ever recognized as good as his bond, and one of the leading 
members of the United Brethren church which he had faithfully served as trus- 
tee, class-leader and Sunday-school superintendent for many years. His 
early education was neglected because of the demands made upon him when 
a child when he should have been at school. 

Joseph Miller was born in Richland county, Ohio, September 16, 1816,. 
a son of Israel and Rachina (Kitch) Miller, the former of whom was a native 
of Pennsylvania, a blacksmith by trade, which he followed in connection with 
farming. His marriage was in his native state and there his three children 
were born ; but Joseph, who was the fourth child, was born in Richland county. 
Some time about 181 6, Israel Miller removed to Richland county, Ohio, and 
entered one hundred and sixty acres of land, in Franklin township, building 
upon it a cabin and making other improvements, residing upon it until i860, 
when he sold this farm and removed into Todd township, Crawford county, 
where he bought a small place of forty acres, and had his children settled com- 
fortably around him. Here he remained a number of years, but late in life 
removed to Osceola and spent his last days in retirement, dying on April 30, 
1872, at the age of eighty-three years and six months. The separation was 
too great a blow to his devoted wife, and twenty-four hours later she also 
passed away, at the age of seventy-six years. 

During life Joseph Miller voted with the Democratic party, having been 
reared in that faith. Since his death Mrs. Miller has continued to reside on 
the farm, her son, Ceno P.. living with her and managing the estate with 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 133 

ability. Many changes have taken place since this -estimable lady first made 
this her home, and it is with satisfaction that she can look back and realize 
how much of the improvement is dne to her own efforts. 



COXRAD HASSEL. 

The life of a man who gives his years and his energies to evangelical, 
educational and charitable work is always interesting and valuable as show- 
ing men what a fellow man has done for mankind. Rev. Conrad Hassel, one 
of the most prominent preachers and workers in the field of Christian charity, 
living at Galion, Ohio, was born two miles southeast of Sharon. Mercer 
county, Pennsylvania, January 26, 1863. When he was six years old his 
parents removed to a point two and a half miles southwest of Sharon, Trum- 
bull county, Ohio, where he passed his boyhood and received his early educa- 
tion in the district school near his home and at a night school taug'ht in that 
neighborhood in which special attention was given to arithmetic. He was 
instructed in the German language at his home by his parents and attended 
several winter terms of a German night school at Sharon, where he devoted 
himself to German, grammar and writing. In his boyhood he became a mem- 
ber and regular attendant of the Reformed church at Sharon. For a number 
of years he taught a class in the Sunday-school of that church and was a 
regular attendant at another Sunday-school in that neighborhood, the sessions 
of which were held on Sunday afternoons. The superintendent of the Sun- 
day-school last mentioned had a happy faculty for simple narration of the 
deeds and sufferings of Christ, and his presentation of the Savior's career and 
mission was so effective that it powerfully impressed young Hassel, who has 
no recollection as to when he first conceived a desire to enter the ministry of 
the gospel. As long ago as he can remember, he felt such a desire. Even at 
the age of seven, while reading" the simple narratives of the Bible, he was 
strongly impressed by the Gospels and the Acts to preach Christ and Him 
crucified. 

At the age of twenty young Hassel entered Calvin Colleg'e at Cleveland, 
Ohio, where under the competent direction of the Rev. H. J. Ruetenik, D. D., 
LL. D., he took a full collegiate course and won a gold medal which was 
offered as a prize to the student taking first rank in the German language. 
After graduating, with the degree of B. A., he took a seminary course at 
Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio, where he was graduated with the degree 



i34 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

of B. D., and seven years later his alma mater conferred upon him the 
degree of A. M. 

Rev. Hassel's first pastorate was composed of the Reformed church at 
Ashland and a country congregation near West Point, Ohio. That pastorate 
continued for two years and nine months, during' which time the membership, 
especially in the country church, was greatly improved, and in many ways 
it was crowned with the reward of blessed work well done. Having accepted 
a call from the First Reformed church of Galion, Ohio, Rev. Hassel entered 
upon his second pastorate April i, 1891. The tenth anniversary <~>f his con- 
nection with the Galion church was made the occasion of an interesting cele- 
bration. His church has a membership of over six hundred. 

In addition to his work in the ministry Rev. Hassel has distinguished him- 
self in connection with the Crawford Count}' Historical Society. He began 
historical researches local in character in 1893 which attracted so much at- 
tention and prompted so much interest in the matters in question that the so- 
ciety was duly organized May 18, 1896, with Conrad Hassel as president. In 
the same year a monument was erected by the society on the site of the 
Olentangy battle-field, where on June 6, 1782, Colonel Crawford's retreating- 
army faced about and had a battle with the pursuing Indian warriors from 
Sandusky and Buttler's Rangers from Fort Detroit. Though hard pressed 
the Americans gained the victory. Rev. Hassel's familiarity with the open- 
in:; oi the Northwest Territory gave him intimate knowledge concerning its 
early settlement and the trials and successes of such pioneers as Boone and his 
contemporaries, as well as the subsequent brave pathfinders of the wilderness. 
Rev. Hassel has been president of the Heidelberg Classis, president of the 
Central Synod, delegate to the General Synod and treasurer of the Home 
Mission board and is at this time president of the board just mentioned. 

Rev. Hassel married Lydia Forwick, of Vermillion, Ohio, August 26, 
1889, and their union was blessed with six children, — three boys and three 
girls, named as follows : Frieda, Alma, Otto, Irene, Carl and Ira. Mrs. 
Hassel is a daughter of a well known minister of the Reformed church, now 
deceased. 

JAMES B. GORMLY. 

The unostentatious routine of private life, although of vast importance 
to the welfare of the community, has not figured to any great extent in the 
pages of history. But the names of men who have distinguished themselves. 





^ 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 137 

by the possession of those qualities of character which mainly contribute to 
the success of private life and to the public stability and who have enjoyed 
the respect and confidence of those around them should not be permitted 
to perish. Their example is more valuable to the majority of readers than 
that of heroes, statesmen and writers, as they furnish means of subsistence 
for the multitude whom they in their useful careers have employed. 

Such are the thoughts that involuntarily come to our minds when we 
consider the life of him whose name initiates this sketch. He is one of the 
most prominent representatives of the banking" interests of this section of 
Ohio. A man of sterling worth, his ability in business and reliable methods 
have won for the institution with which he is connected a foremost posi- 
tion in money circles. 

Mr. Gormly was born in Bucyrus November 23, 1836, and is the eldest 
son of John A. Gormly, whose birth occurred in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, 
July 19, 1804. His paternal grandparents were John and Elizabeth (Gill) 
Gormly. The former was born in county Tyrone, Ireland, in 1776. and 
about 1790 crossed the Atlantic to the new world, locating in Pittsburg, 
where he entered the milling business. He wedded Elizabeth Gill, a daughter 
of John Gill, who was born in Scotland and took up his abode in the Key- 
stone state prior to the Revolutionary war. When the colonies attempted 
to throw off the yoke of British oppression he joined the army and valiantly 
assisted in obtaining independence. About 1830 John A. Gormly removed 
to Brownsville. Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the dry-goods business, 
and while residing there became a member of the Presbyterian church. In 
1833 he was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Bowman, and in 1836 they 
came to Bucyrus, Ohio, where he conducted a small general store on Sandusky 
avenue, having purchased property there. By close attention to business and 
careful management on the part of himself and wife he became one of the 
wealthy men of the county. He judiciously invested a part of his capital 
in realty, becoming the owner of valuable city property and one thousand 
acres of rich farming land. In 1859 he turned his attention to> the banking 
business, establishing the People's Deposit Bank, which he successfully con- 
ducted until 18C4, when he organized the First National Bank of Bucyrus 
and was chosen its president, acting in that capacity until his death, which 
occurred May 8. 1878, when he was in his seventy-fifth year. To his man- 
agement, fair dealing and integrity the bank owes its high reputation, which 
lias not been lessened under the management of his son, James B. Gormly, 
who is now president. In church work he always took an active interest, 



138 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

doing all in his power to promote the cause of Christianity. In 1838 he 
was elected a ruling elder in the Presbyterian church and in 1868 was made 
a lay delegate of the presbytery from Bellfontaine to the general assembly 
in Brooklyn, New York. His wife passed away prior to his death, being 
called to her final rest May 6, 1872. In their family were three children, 
James B.. George C. and Mary L.. the daughter being the wife of the Rev. 
James G. D. Findley, of Newburg. New York. 

Mr. Gormly, whose name introduces this record, pursued his education 
in the schools of Bucvrus until his seventeenth year, when he entered the- 
store of his uncle, James P. Bowman, with whom he remained for a year. 
In 1856 he was graduated in Bartlett's Commercial College, of Cincinnati, 
and then entered the Exchange Bank, of Bucvrus, as teller and bookkeeper 
there, remaining until 1859. In that year he and his father organized and 
became sole proprietors of the People's Deposit Bank, which ceased to do 
business on the organization in 1864 of the First National Bank, of which the 
father became president, while Mr. Gormly was made cashier, serving in 
that capacity until 1878, when he succeeded his father to the presidency. For 
almost a quarter of a century he has occupied the position, and the safe, con- 
servative policy which he has followed has annually increased the business 
transacted over the counters of that institution. 

A man of splendid executive force, of keen discrimination and of splendid 
powers as an organizer, he has been an active factor in the control of many 
important business concerns in this section of the state. From 1871 until 
1 Ky^ he was secretary and treasurer of the Ohio Central Railroad Company 
and was treasurer of the Crawford County Agricultural Association from 
1867 until 1878. He-was for several years the president of the Gas & Electric- 
Light Company and is now president of the Bucyrus Water Works Company. 
Of the former he served as president until its sale in 1901. In 1893 he was 
made assignee of the estate of ex-Governor Foster, of Fostoria, Ohio, the 
business of which he has just brought to a conclusion. In connection with 
Colonel W. C. Lemert, he was one of the organizers of the Fry-Sheckler 
Company, now the American Clay Working Machinery Company, of which 
he was treasurer for several years. This is the largest enterprise of the 
kind in the world. In 1859 Mr. Gormly was united in marriage to Miss 
E. Virginia Swingly, a daughter of Dr. Frederick and Mary (Denman) 
Swingly. Their children are: Ella K., now the wife of F. S. Monnett, 
ex-attorney general of Ohio and now a resident of Columbus; Susie E., wife 
of W. H. Picking, a hardware merchant of Bucyrus; and James B. The 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 139 

son was educated in the schools of Bucyrus, and in 1890 entered the First 
National Bank, where he is now acting as assistant cashier. The family is 
one of prominence in the community and attends services at the Presbyterian 
church, of which Mr. Gormly is an elder. In politics he is a Republican. 
There are few men whose lives are crowned with the honor and respect which 
is uniformally accorded him, and through more than a quarter of a century's 
connection with the business interests of Ohio his has been an unblemished 
character. With him success in life has been reached by his sterling qualities 
of mind and a heart true to every manly principle. 



FREDERICK SWINGLY, M. D. 

No representative of the medical fraternity in Crawford county has had 
a more extended patronage or a higher reputation in the line of his profession 
than Dr. Swingly, late of Bucyrus. He was born in Washington county, 
Maryland. November 22, 1809, and was a son of Leonard and Prudence 
(Brentlinger) Swingly. At the usual age he entered school and continued 
his studies in the schools of Hagerstown. Maryland, until eighteen years 
of age. Subsequently he determined to make the practice of medicine his 
life work and became a student in the office and under the direction of Dr. 
Russell, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, who planned his reading until he matriculated 
in the Jefferson Medical College, of Philadelphia. In 1840 he was graduated 
in the Ohio Medical College, of Cincinnati, and immediately afterward 
began practice in Chesterville, Ohio, where he remained for seven years. 
Subsequently he spent one year in Mt. Gilead. His success in his profession 
was so pronounced that his reputation extended to surrounding counties and 
he became recognized as one of the leading members of the medical fraternity 
in this part of the state. In 1843 l ie came to Bucyrus, where he was 
already known by reputation, and at once secured a lucrative practice. The 
Doctor spent many years in his profession. Flis work was arduous, for the 
practice of medicine in those days involved long and dreary rides by day 
or night, in storm or sunshine, and he often had to make his way over almost 
impassable roads or through stretches of forest, but he never failed to respond 
to the call of the sick and suffering. Often times he knew that no pecuniary 
remuneration would be received, but his generous spirit and broad humani- 
tarianism prompted him to relieve those in need of professional service. On 
the 2 1 st of June, 1836, Mr. Swingly was united in marriage to Miss Mary, 



Ho CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

daughter of Joseph and Mary (Trobridge) Denman, of Knox county, 
Ohio. Their children are : Edith V., now the wife of J. B. Gormly, a 
banker of Bucyrus; Ellen M., who for several years was principal of the 
schools of Bucyrus, and is now the wife of Major E. C. Moderwell, of 
Chicago. Illinois; John R. ; Frederick; Mary D., wife of Colonel C. W. 
Fisher, of Bucyrus; and Kate M., the wife of H. M. Fulton, also of Bucyrus. 
The mother of this family died February 28, 1874, and on the 5th of June, 
1889, the Doctor was again married, his second union being with Mrs. 
Barbara Van Vorhees, widow of Isaac Van Vorhees, one of the early settlers 
of Crawford county. 

Dr. Swingly passed away June 13, 1900, at the age of ninety-one 
years. His was a long, useful and honorable career, and his life history 
forms an integral part of the annals of Crawford county. Probably no- man 
in the community was more widely known than this loved family physician 
in many a household. His work brought him into close contact with a 
large majority of citizens, and his sterling worth gained him very warm 
regard. 

SYLVANUS CHARLES CHANEY. 

A good name is a priceless legacy and one of which the children of an 
ordinary man should be more proud than the children of a great financier who 
had died and left millions smirched with dishonor. Sylvanus Charles Chaney, 
in his time one of the prominent citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, left such a 
priceless legacy to his descendants and to his children, property of considerable 
value which he won by hard work and honest dealing with his fellow men. 

Sylvanus Charles Chaney was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, July 5, 
1830, a son of Johnson and Mary (Brooks) Chaney, who had six sons and 
two daughters, only two of whom — James Chaney of Fort Wayne, Indiana, 
and Mary, who is the wife of Elija Moore, of Columbiana county, Ohio, — 
survive. His parents were both of Irish blood and his grandfather died when 
Johnson Chaney was only a lad, leaving his widow with a family of six chil- 
dren and without means adequate for their support. When our subject's 
father was only fifteen or sixteen years old, he began to work out by the 
month to assist in the maintenance of the family. After his brothers and 
sisters had become old enough to be self-supporting, he married and took up 
the career of a farmer in Columbiana count)-, Ohio, where he lived until his 
death which occurred in 1875 at the advanced age of ninety-three years . 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 141 

Sylvanus Chaney was one of six brothers, five of whom, including himself, 
learned the carpenter's trade and one of whom became one of the most skill- 
ful workmen in his line in the country. After he finished his apprenticeship, 
he took up the work of his trade and in connection with farming- he contin- 
ued it until the spring of i860. In September, 1858, he had come to Crawford 
county for his bride, whom he took to Columbiana county where they lived 
about a year and a half. In the spring of i860 he returned to Crawford 
county where he took up his residence and in connection with Eli O. Lones, 
his brother-in-law. rented a farm of two hundred and twenty-six acres, which 
belonged to his father-in-law, which they worked together for three years 
under lease. At the expiration of that time, they bought the farm and owned 
it in partnership, Eli O. Lones living in Mr. Chaney's family, until 1876, when 
Mr. Lones married and the property was divided and Mr. Chaney became 
owner of one hundred and fifty-six acres of the original farm. Later he pur- 
chased of the Lones heirs seventy acres of land, which is now the home of his 
son, Lambert. As a farmer he was thoroughly enterprising and his splendidly 
improved property and everything upon it afforded ample evidence of his 
thrift and of the excellence of his business management. 

Mr. Chaney's educational advantages were limited to those afforded by 
the public schools of his day, but he possessed an active mind that was in- 
clined to the acquisition of knowledge and by reading he became well in- 
formed in a general way, and by careful attention to business and a constant 
study of economic conditions and influences became one of the ablest busi- 
ness men in his part of the county. One of his marked traits was caution 
and he brought it into use often with most gratifying results. Eminently fair 
in all of his dealings, his integrity and probity were never questioned and he 
is remembered as one who in all his relations with his fellow men was fair 
and honorable. Of keen perception and liberal views, his grasp of all ques- 
tions was certain and comprehensive and his gift of language was such that 
he was noted for the clearness and force with which he presented his views 
of any question, that he discussed, and he was no< less convincing in argument 
than entertaining in conversation. 

Though not a member of any church Mr, Chaney attended religious 
services frequently and, with a leaning toward Presbyterianism, was a liberal 
supporter of churches of various denominations. An advocate of popular 
education, his influence upon -schools in his neighborhood was very marked 
and his public spirit was so great that it may be said of him that during 
all his active vears he withheld his encouragement and financial support from 



142 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

no measure that promised good to the general public. In politics he was an 
uncompromising" Republican and as such he was elected to numerous local 
offices, and in the capacity of township trustee he served his fellow citizens 
with noteworthy ability and fidelity. A man of deep conviction, he possessed 
courage and force of character to maintain any position to which he was 
brought by his view of any question. He was a true and faithful friend and 
nobly filled his obligations to his fellow men, and as a husband and father 
he was loving', generous and in every way helpful, a blessing to those who 
depended upon him and who mourn him with tender affection and reverence. 

In September, 1858, Mr. Chaney married Mary J. Lones, daughter of 
Joseph and Jane (Bowman) Lones. Mrs. Chaney's father was born in Berke- 
ley county, Virginia (now West Virginia), March 17, 1801, a son of John 
and Mary (Spahr) Lones. It is a singular historical fact that he was born in 
the same house in which his mother was born. John Lones, also a native 
of Virginia, was a son of one of three brothers who early came from Ger- 
many to America, and, locating in different parts of the country, lost knowl- 
edge of one another's whereabouts and fortunes. John Lones' father served 
his adopted country in the Revolutionary war and was killed in battle. John, 
who was at that time but ten years old and spoke only in the German 
language, was bound out to an English speaking family, with whom he re- 
mained until he attained mature years, entirely forgetting his mother tongue. 

In 1 810, when Joseph Lones was nine years old, his father moved to 
Columbiana county, Ohio, and settled about six miles from the Ohio river. 
Upon Joseph, who was the oldest of eleven children of parents who were 
comparatively poor, much farm work devolved early in his life and he aided 
his father very materially in improving and cultivating his farm and in rear- 
ing his large family. In 1828, Joseph Lones removed from Columbiana 
county, Ohio, to Crawford county, Ohio, with John Bowman, his father-in- 
law, and settled in Holmes township. There is a tradition in the family that 
the journey consumed eleven days, John Bowman and his family coming to 
the county in a large wagon drawn by five horses, while Mr. Lones drove a 
sixth horse attached to a small Dearborn wagon. This journey was made in 
the month of March, through a wild country so nearly impassable that on 
some days not more than ten miles were traveled. 

Mr. Lones built a cabin of poles, fourteen by sixteen feet inside, in a 
locality near Bucyrus, Ohio, known as Ludwig's bottoms. There he spent 
the summer, entering one hundred and sixty acres of land adjoining the 
Quaintance farm in Holmes township. Having only twenty-five dollars in 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 143 

cash, he worked on the streets in Bucyrus at twenty-five cents a day to earn 
money with which to pay for his farm. Later he worked on the canal in Co- 
lumbiana county and from time to time at whatever his hands found to 
do. In the fall succeeding his arrival in the county he penetrated the dense 
forest which included his land to a point where he made a small clearing, 
in which he intended to erect a cabin. Attempting to return to the place a few 
days later, he was utterly unable to find it and accordingly made a new clear- 
ing, in which he built a home for himself and family, and it was not until 
years afterward that one day he came unexpectedly to his original clearing. 
For some years he lived there in a primitive way until he replaced his log cabin 
with a more modern frame residence. After a time he bought sixty-six acres 
of the old Eli Ouaintance farm, which extended his holdings to the road on 
the west side; and not long afterward he bought sixty acres more of the 
Ouaintance farm, on the east side of the road, and where he erected a resi- 
dence and good farm buildings and lived out the remainder of his days. 

A few years after Mr. Lones came to Crawford county he entered eighty 
acres of land north of his home farm for his father, who soon came to the 
county, of which he was a citizen until his death. To enter the tract of land 
just mentioned Mr. Lones was obliged to walk to the land office at Tiffin, twen- 
ty-seven miles distant. He had completed his business and had covered seven 
miles of the return journey by dinner time of the day on which he had left 
his home, and by the time he had eaten dinner the muscles of his legs were 
so badly swollen that he was unable to resume his journey until the following 
day and he remained over night at Melmore, Seneca county, Ohio. He died 
at the age of eighty-six, in the year of 1886. He was married three times. 

Mr. Lones was a man of remarkable constitution, but the strenuous life 
of his earlier years told upon him and in his later years he suffered much from 
rheumatism. His early political affiliation was with the Whigs, for he Avas a 
strong anti-slavery man, and from the organization of the Republican party 
until his death he was a member of that virile and influential political party. His 
interest in public education was such that, though he was not an office seeker, 
he was repeatedly elected a member of the local school board, and his ad- 
vocacy of road improvements made him SO' popular with his fellow citizens 
that he was several times elected supervisor, in which office he served most 
willingly and efficiently. For many years he was an active member of the 
Protestant Methodist church. By his first marriage Mr. Lones had eight chil- 
dren, of whom three survive. One of these is Mrs. Sylvanus Chaney, who 
was born in Holmes township, on her father's farm, on which she now lives, 



144 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

on the eighteenth day of December, 1832. She has borne her husband five 
children, of whom the following- survive: Emma C. wife of J. M. Herron, 
of Perry. Iowa ; Laura J., who is a member of her mother's household ; Lambert 
]., a farmer of Holmes township, and Rush A., who is the manager of his 
mother's farm. Johnson Chaney, another of her sons, died in infancy, at the 
age of two years and four months. 

WALLACE B. FORREST. 

Wallace Byron Forrest, who is occupying the position of clerk of the 
courts of Crawford county, was elected to the office in 1897 anc ^ entered 
upon the discharge of his duties on the 1st of August, 1898. In the fall of 
1900 he was re-elected, so that he is now serving for the second term. If all 
public officers were as true and faithful to duty as Mr. Forrest there would 
be no complaint of corruption in politics, for his public service is above 
reproach. 

Mr. Forrest was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, May 3, 
1853, and is a son of James and Margaret (Aston) Forrest. On the 
paternal side he is of Irish lineage, for his grandfather was a native of 
county Derry, Ireland, whence he emigrated to the new world, becoming a 
resident of the Keystone state. James Forrest was born in Huntingdon 
county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1799, and died at Oceola. Ohio, in 1880, 
at the ripe old age of eighty-one years. His wife, who was born in the same 
count}-, in 1805, passed away in 1881, at the age of seventy-six years. She 
was of Scotch lineage for the Astons came to the new world from the 
land of hills and heather. In 1854 the parents of our subject came to Ohio, 
taking up their abode in Todd township, Crawford county, upon a farm, 
where they spent their remaining days. They became well known and highly 
respected citizens of the community. 

Wallace B. Forrest was an infant at the time of the removal, and thus 
within the boundaries of Crawford count}' he was reared. To its public 
school system he is indebted for the educational privileges which he enjoyed 
in his youth. In 1872 he began teaching school and for seventeen years 
followed that profession in Oceola. He was acknowledged to be one of 
the most competent instructors in this portion of the state, was enthusiastic 
and zealous in his work and has the ability to impart clearly and accurately 
to the students the knowledge which he had acquired, and to forcibly impress 
upon the young minds the lessons which prepare them for life's practical 





Q 



'o 




CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 147 

duties. He also served as school examiner for six years and was long an 
active member of the Crawford County Teachers Association, and served 
as its president for two years. 

Air. Forrest was married, in Oceola, to Miss Lottie E. Stull, a daughter 
of J. M. and Alar}- E. (Smith) Stull, who removed from Stark to Craw- 
ford county. The marriage of our subject and his wife has been blessed 
with the following named children: Edith S., who is now acting as deputy 
clerk for her father ; Nina, the wife of Charles McLaughlin, of Oceola ; 
Fannie, who is in school ; Bruce and Irene. The family took up their abode 
in Bucyrus in 1898, removing hither from Oceola. Air. Forrest is a mem- 
ber of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Junior Order 
of American Mechanics. In politics he *is a Democrat and takes con- 
siderable interest in political affairs, doing all in his power to advance the 
growth and success of his part}'. Todd township many times honored him 
by electing and re-electing him to office, he having held the offices of clerk 
and treasurer for ten and live years, respectively. In 1880 he was a census 
enumerator for Todd and Dallas townships, having been appointed by a 
Republican president over three Republican rivals. In 1890 and 1891 he 
acted as deputy county treasurer under Frank Blicke. For five years he 
was proprietor of a general store, which he closed out in order to assume 
the duties of county clerk, and during four years of the time he spent in 
merchandising he was also postmaster, appointed to the office -by President 
Cleveland in 1892. During the fiftieth congress he was an index clerk in 
the house of representatives, having been appointed to the position by Gen- 
eral Clark, of Alissouri, who was at that time clerk of the house. In the- 
spring of 1901 Mr. Forrest was elected a member of the Bucyrus city coun- 
cil, a position he now holds. His election to this office, he being not long 
a resident of Bucyrus, indicates the high esteem in which he is held by his 
fellow citizens of Bucyrus. Called to the position of county clerk by popular 
ballot, he discharged his duties so< faithfully through one term that he was 
re-elected to the office. His public career is one over which there falls no 
shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil, and as a man and citizen Air. Forrest 
commands uniform respect. 

JAMES KERR. 

James Kerr, deceased, resided in Crawford county for many years, and" 
so active was he in affairs that contributed to the material growth of the 
community and so extensively did he engage in farming and wool-growing 



148 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

that no biographical record of Crawford county would be complete without 
mention of this honored and venerable gentleman, who through a long and 
useful career ever commanded the respect and esteem of his fellow men. 

Mr. Kerr was born in Knox county. Ohio, February 18, 1818. His 
parents were James and Elizabeth (Arbuckle) Kerr, natives of Pennsyl- 
vania, whence they removed to Knox county. Ohio, at a very early day. In 
that county their son James was born and there he spent his youth, working 
on the home farm, but when seventeen years of age he left his father's fireside 
to take up the battle of life for himself. His mother had passed away in 
death and his father had married a second wife, and it was a disagreement 
with the step-mother that caused Air. Kerr to leave home. He came to Craw- 
ford county and made his home with his elder brother, "Bobbie" Kerr, for 
whom he worked on the farm for about three years. On the expiration of 
that period he began farming for himself and completed his arrangement 
for a home of his own by his marriage to Miss Nancy Towers, on the 5th 
of November, 1840. They began their domestic life upon a farm of forty 
acres, which he had purchased in Dallas township. Not long afterward, 
however, he sold that tract of land and purchased another farm in Whet- 
stone township, taking up his abode thereon and making it his home for 
many vears. He prospered in his undertakings and became an extensive land- 
owner, at one time his possessions aggregating nearly nine hundred acres. 
For years he engaged in trading and raising sheep, carrying on the busi- 
ness on a very large scale, finding it a profitable source of income. For five 
years he lived with his son, George T. Kerr, but in 1897 he removed to Ma- 
rion, Ohio, where his wife died July 12, 1900, and he himself passed away 
October 22, 1901. 

Airs. Kerr was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, January 14, 1820. and 
was a daughter of Thomas and Nancy (Sullivan) Towers, both of whom 
were natives of Maryland, whence they removed to Pickaway county in an 
early day. In later life they came to Crawford county and here made their 
home until called to their final rest. The father was a soldier in the war of 
1812 and was a farmer by occupation, following* that pursuit in order to 
provide for his family. Both he and his wife were members of the Methodist 
Episcopal church. They had twelve children, six sons and six daughters. 
Unto James and Nancy Kerr were born the following children : Susan, the 
wife of William Arbuckle, a resident of Crawford county; George T., who is 
mentioned elsewhere in this volume: and James F., who died when four 
years of age. The mother was a most noble woman. She was a pioneer 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 149 

daughter, a pioneer wife and bore bravely the struggles and hardships of 
pioneer life. She worked with an energy equal to that of her husband and ma- 
terially assisted him in gaining a competence in life. She passed away in the 
eightieth year of her age, but her memory remains as a blessed benediction to 
all who knew her. Like her husband she was for many years an active and 
faithful member of the Disciples church, located in Bucyrus, an organiza- 
tion which owes much to their support. They were liberal contributors to 
the erection of the church building", and to the work as it was carried on along 
various lines. Upon the death of Mrs. Kerr her remains were laid to rest 
in the beautiful cemetery at Bucyrus. Mr. Kerr passed the eighty-third mile- 
stone on the journey of life. He certainly deserves great credit for the ex- 
emplary life he lived and the success he achieved. A man of strong con- 
viction, yet charitable in his opinions of others ; honest in his business rela- 
tions and at all times living in harmony with upright principles and honorable 
manhood, he not only gained wealth, but also won that good name which 
is rather to be chosen than °reat riches. 



GEORGE A. SPAHR. 

A familiar and well-known figure in all of the important and progressive 
agricultural movements in Holmes township, Crawford county, for many 
years past, has been George A. Spahr, a highly respected citizen and most 
substantial farmer. The birth of Mr. Spahr was in Cumberland county, 
Pennsylvania, on June 21, 1825. He was a son of Jesse and Margaret 
(Peterman) Spahr, and is one of three surviving children. His two sisters 
are: Catherine, who is the wife of Urias Smith, of Defiance county, Ohio; 
and Sarah A., who is the wife of Richard Knisley, of Libert}- township, in this 
count}-. 

Jesse Spahr, the father of our subject, was born in Cumberland count}-, 
Pennsylvania, and grew up on a farm there, married in his native vicinity 
and there four of his family of children were born. In 1830 he emigrated 
to Crawford count}', Ohio, and after farming for some years as a renter he 
purchased eighty acres of land in Liberty township, six miles east of Bu- 
cyrus, and there he resided until the time of his death in his eighty-fifth year. 
In politics he was an adherent of the Democratic party, became prominent 
in public affairs in the township and efficiently filled the office of trustee for 
several terms. Both he and his wife were life-long, devoted members of 



150 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the English Lutheran church, and he is still remembered as one of the most 
upright citizens of Crawford county. The mother of our subject also was 
born in Pennsylvania and survived her husband several years, dying at the 
age of eighty-four. 

The subject of this biography, who is so well and favorably known 
through this section of Crawford county, grew up on his father's farm and 
received the best possible schooling of the time and locality, in the little log 
school house in the vicinity of his birth. At the age of twenty-one he began 
his own career as a farmer, and on December 10, 1846, he was married to 
Miss Catherine Cover, the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Zent) Cover, 
who came to Crawford county from Pennsylvania at an early day and set- 
tled in Liberty township, where the} 7 lived and where their worthy lives 
closed. 

After marriage our subject continued to work as a farm hand for one 
rear and then removed to his father-in-law's farm and managed that estate 
for a year, during which time the latter was on a visit with his friends in 
Pennsylvania. The following" year Air. Spahr purchased eighty acres of his 
present home farm and in subsequent years has continually added to the 
original tract, until he now owns one hundred and fifty-four acres .of some of 
the most productive farming land in the county. 

Our subject's family consists of five surviving children, one son, Joshua, 
having passed from life; but all the others are comfortably settled, their names 
being: Daniel: Rev. Moses, a minister of the Methodist church, located in 
Sedan. Kansas; Julia A., the wife of Eli Miller, a prosperous farmer of this 
county; Lovina, the wife of Elias Crall. of Defiance county; and Eliza, the 
wife of David Schlosser, of Todd township. 

In early life Mr. Spahr managed a threshing machine through the neigh- 
borhood for a number of vears. His farming operations have been con- 
ducted with thoroughness and good judgment and he has been eminently 
successful. While a stanch and life-long Democrat, he respects the opinions 
of others and with satisfaction to both parties served the township several 
times as trustee. Repeatedly he has served on the election board, and in mat- 
ters of public interest he is very generally consulted. Mr. Spahr is an active 
and useful as well as consistent member of the United Brethren church, to 
which his wife also belongs, and has long been a trustee of both church and 
parsonage, and he has also served as class-leader at various times. His circle 
of personal friends comprises every one in his locality, while his standing be- 
fore the public is that of the highest. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 151 

ADAM J. WISMAN. 

Adam John Wisman, one of the progressive young farmers and stock- 
raisers of Crawford county, was born in Bucyrus township, February 12, 
1863, a son of Christian and Elizabeth (Conkle) Wisman. The father was 
born in Waynesboro, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, September 15, 1827, 
and was a son of Frederick and Elizabeth (Heinlen) Wisman, both of whom 
were natives of Wurtemberg, Germany, from which country they came to 
America in childhood. They were married in Pennsylvania and resided in 
that state until their removal to Crawford county, Ohio, in the year 1828. 
The father was a wagonmaker by trade, but after establishing his home in 
the Buckeye state devoted his energies to farming. He was an industrious 
man, reliable in business and was greatly respected by his neighbors and 
acquaintances. His wife died about fifteen years after their arrival in Ohio, 
and his death occurred on the 18th of February, 1867. They were the parents 
of nine children. 

Of this number Christian Wisman, the father of our subject, spent his 
youth and early manhood in assisting his father upon the farm, and in the 
primitive log school house, such as was common at that time, he obtained 
his education. On the 17th of October, 1850, he was united in marriage to 
Miss Elizabeth Conkle, who was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, Septem- 
ber 30, 1830, and by her marriage became the mother of three children, name- 
ly : Adam J., Elizabeth and Amanda, the last named now deceased. Upon 
a fine farm situated on the west bank of the Sandusky river the father farmed 
for many years, but is now living retired in Bucyrus, where he had made his 
home for several years. He started out in life with no capital save a stout 
heart and willing hands, but by means of industry and frugality he gained a 
good estate and ample competence. In politics a stanch Democrat, he, how- 
ever, never sought office, preferring to give his attention to other interests. 
He was esteemed for his honesty, his integrity standing as an unquestioned 
fact in his career. 

Mr. Wisman, whose name forms the caption of this review, was reared 
upon the home farm and educated in the neighborhood schools. He lived 
with his parents until twenty-three years of age and was then married and 
established a home of his own in Bucyrus township. In March, 1890, he 
took up his residence on the Sandusky road, about two miles southeast of 
Bucyrus, where he has a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres of fertile 
land. The place is splendidly improved with all modern equipments usually 



152 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

found upon a model farm. There is a pleasant and attractive residence, a 
large and substantial barn and other outbuildings and the latest improved ma- 
chinery. In addition to the home farm he also owns another tract of land in 
Bucyrus townshp, consisting of eighty-six acres, and a farm of one hundred 
and sixty acres in Sandusky township. A man of marked energy and enter- 
prise, he carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes and 
as the result of his perseverance and business ability his capital is annually 
increasing. 

In 1886 Mr. Wisman was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Brown, 
a daughter of John G. and Catherine ( Christman ) Brown. Her father was 
a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, and when a young - man came to America. 
For several years he was employed in Bucyrus, and in this locality he was mar- 
ried. He then located in Holmes township, where he became a prosperous 
farmer and useful citizen, respected by all who knew him for his sterling 
worth. He died there in 1892, but his widow still resides on the old home- 
stead. They were the parents of one son and nine daughters, and they 
reared their children in the faith of the German Lutheran church, of which 
they were members. Mrs. Wisman was born and reared in Holmes town- 
ship and by her marriage she became the mother of three children, namely : 
Cleo L., Ruth and Mabel. In his political views Mr. Wisman is a Democrat 
and as every true American citizen should do he keeps well informed on the 
issues of the day. Although he has never sought or desired political pre- 
ferment to any extent, his fellow townsmen, recognizing" his worth and 
ability, have called him to public office in 1888, when he was chosen town- 
ship trustee, and for six consecutive vears he was continued in that position 
through re-election. He is a good citizen, liberal and public-spirited and by 
all who know him he is highly esteemed for his genuine worth of character. 

JAMES P. BE ALL. 

For almost half a century James Perry Beall has been a resident of 
Crawford county, and throughout the greater part of the period has been 
identified with agricultural pursuits, but at the present time he is living re- 
tired. He has passed the Psalmist's span of three score years and ten, and 
in the evening of life is enjoying a well earned rest — the fitting crown of 
many years of labor. 

He was born on a farm in Harrison county, Ohio, May 13, 1828, his 
parents being James Perry and Minerva (Huff) Beall.^ The father was born 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 153 

in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1797, and was a son of Colmore 
Beall, who was of Scotch lineage. Representatives of the family have become 
very numerous in the country since the first of the name took up his abode in 
the Keystone state. The family there founded has since scattered until it 
is now represented in various states of the Union and its members have be- 
come prominent in business, professional and political life. The father of our 
subject was reared in the country of his nativity and was there married to a 
Miss Albert, by whom he had two children — Zenas, now deceased, and Airs. 
Jane Chance, now a resident of Todd township, Crawford county. The fa- 
ther was a farmer by occupation. His first wife died in Pennsylvania and 
afterward, when a young" man of about twenty-seven years, he came to Ohio, 
settling in Harrison count}-, where his father had entered land from the gov- 
ernment. 

James P. Beall, Sr., settled in the midst of the wild forest, becoming one 
of the pioneers of the count}-, where he resided for thirty years. Pie then 
sold his property there and came to Crawford count}-, where he resided until 
his death, which occurred in 1870, when he was seventy-three years of age. 
After taking up his abode in Harrison county he had formed the acquaintance 
of Minerva Huff, whom he married. She was of a Virginian family and was 
born in the Old Dominion. By her marriage she became the mother of ten 
children : Casander, William, Elizabeth and Colmore, all now deceased : James 
Perry, of this review ; Cyrus, who died while serving in the Union army during 
the Civil war; Rebecca, deceased; John, who also died while a Union soldier; 
Minerva, deceased ; and Zephaniah. who also served in the Civil war and is 
now a resident of Fulton county, Indiana. The mother died about 1874. at the 
age of seventy-three years. 

Mr. Beall, whose name forms the caption of this review, was reared in 
Harrison county, Ohio, amid pioneer scenes and privations, and was educated 
in the old primitive log school house, which was built with a huge fireplace in 
one end large enough to hold immense logs. The windows were made by 
removing a log from one side and one end, and filling the aperture with glass. 
The desk was formed of boards resting on pegs driven into the walls, and 
there were slab seats, resting on wooden pegs. In such a school Mr. Beall 
learned to read, write and "cipher," but was only instructed in arithmetic for 
thirteen days. In after years, however, he applied himself to study at home, 
even after his marriage continuing his educational work, for he realized the 
value of education and wished to prepare himself for the duties of life. He 
worked on the home farm and remained under the parental roof until his 



154 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

marriage, which occurred in 1848. For three years thereafter he worked 
as a farm hand in Harrison county, and rather than remain idle one spring, 
before the time for farm work, he spent one week at splitting rails for thirty- 
seven and a half cents per day. He thus began an independent career under 
rather difficult circumstances. During the fifth year after his marriage he 
cultivated a rented farm of one hundred and thirty acres and after paying 
his rent in cash he had four hundred dollars clear above all expenses. This 
was the result of hard work and good management. In 1852 he came to 
Crawford count)', and the first year he was here was the year he rented lands 
and cleared the four hundred dollars, and the next year he could not rent 
to suit him. and, being offered a good proposition to work as a hired hand, he 
accepted the proposition. In 1854 he purchased the farm upon which he 
now resides, comprising one hundred and twenty acres of rich land. He has 
since prospered in his undertakings and at one time had extensive landed 
possessions, but has since sold much of it, although he still owns two other 
farms in connection with that upon which he now resides. He has engaged 
quite extensively in raising stock, mostly sheep and hogs, but for several 
years has lived a retired life, having in the meantime acquired a handsome 
competence, which supplies him with all of the comforts and many of the 
luxuries of life. 

In 1848 Mr. Beall was married to Miss Mary Ann Kecklar, who was 
born in Pennsylvania in 1827 and went to Harrison county, Ohio, with her 
parents during her early girlhood. Mr. and Mrs. Beall have had seven chil- 
dren : James Perry and John \Y., who are deceased; Mary .Margaret, the 
wife ot Charles B. Henry, a farmer of Bucyrus township; Lauraette, the 
wile of Edward Hill, also a farmer of Bucvrus township; Dorsey Lincoln, 
an attorney living in Toledo, Ohio; Eva Minerva, the wife of Wesley Beal, 
an agriculturist of Bucyrus township; and Nora Ellen, the wife of John I. 
Milliken, who also engages in the tilling of the soil in the same township. 
Both Mr. and Airs. Beall are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. 
He joined the church in early manhood and for many years he has been a 
leader in church work, serving as Sunday-school superintendent, church 
steward and in other offices. He has labored earnestly and conscientiously for 
the spread of the cause of Christianity among the people of this locality and 
has molded his life according to the teachings and tenets of the religious or- 
ganization with which he is connected. 

Airs. Beall's parents were John and Rosanna (Gordon) Kecklar. Her fa- 
ther and mother were born in Pennsylvania, but her grandparents, both pa- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 1 55 

ternal and maternal, were born in Germany, and on coming to this country set- 
tled in Pennsylvania. Her paternal grandparents were Michael and Alary 
Ann Kecklar, and the maternal grandparents were Josiah and Martha Jane 
Gordon. They lived and died in the Keystone state. Mrs. Beall was born 
in Adams county, Pennsylvania, in 1827, and when she was seven years of 
age her parents came to Ohio and settled in Harrison county. Here her 
mother died, but her father died in Kansas, while on a visit to a daughter 
living in that state. Martha Jane, Mary Ann, Rosanna, Josiah and Malinda 
are the living children born unto John and Rosanna Kecklar. Their father 
was a blacksmith by trade, but farmed the greater part of his life. 

An uncle of Mrs. Beall, Josiah H. Gordon, soon after his marriage re- 
moved to the south and was there living when the Civil war came on. In the 
conflict he became a Confederate soldier and rose to the rank of general and 
was killed in battle. By profession he was a lawyer, and he was one of ability. 

EZEKIEL STEINHILBER. 

Among the prosperous farmer residents of Bucyrus township, who have 
made farming a very successful life business, is Ezekiel Steinhilber, who owns 
a fine farm of eighty acres in a desirable part of this township. The birth 
of Mr. Steinhilber was in Todd township, on December 12, 1857. He was 
a son of John M. and Christina (Leitzy) Steinhilber, both of whom were 
born in Germany and who came with their parents to America. Grandfather 
Steinhilber settled in Chatfield township, Crawford county, and there lived and 
died, and his son John M. married there and lived on the old place for some 
seven years and then sold out and bought a farm in Todd township, where 
the remainder of his life was spent. The}' were good and worthy people 
and were the parents of nine children. 

Ezekiel grew up on the farm and attended the country schools, remain- 
ing with his father until the age of twenty-one and then married and began 
housekeeping and worked for his father on halves. His wife, whom he mar- 
ried in 1881, was Sophia Hirtz, the estimable and amiable daughter of the 
late George Hirtz, of Holmes township, in which township Mrs. Steinhilber 
was born May 15, i860. Her parents were natives of Germany. 

Mr. Steinhilber was not possessed of very large means at first, and rented 
a small farm in Todd township, but both he and his wife were frugal and 
industrious and in 1880 purchased a compact little farm of thirty-five acres, 
which he sold in 1895 and bought the eighty-acre farm where he now lives. 



156 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Seven of the children born to his marriage are still living, and he has reared 
them in the faith of the German Brethren church. The children are George, 
Joseph, Lawrence, Annie, Cora, Katie and Reuben. Four children died in 
childhood. 

In his political connection he has always voted for the men and measures 
of the Democratic party. It is a very commendable thing to so live as to 
become independent in so few a number of years as has Mr. Steinhilber, 
but it is still more so to have gained in that time the esteem and respect of the 
neighborhood, and this he has done also. 

JOHN HOPLEY. 

In the promotion and conservation of advancement in all the normal 
lines of human progress and civilization there is no factor which has exercised 
a more potent influence than the press, which is both the director and the 
mirror of public opinion. Bucyrus has been signally favored in the char- 
acter of its newspapers, which have been vital, enthusiastic and progressive, 
ever aiming to advance the interests of this favored section of the Union, 
to aid in laying fast and sure the foundations of an enlightened common- 
wealth, to further the ends of justice and to uphold the banner of Ohio. 
In a compilation of this nature then it is clearly incumbent that due recogni- 
tion be accorded the newspaper press of the state. 

The universal acknowledgment that the press is the most potent factor 
in molding public opinion indicates therefore the prominent position which 
the editor occupies. Every publication bears the impress of him who occu- 
pies the editorial chair, whether this is given consciously or unconsciously; 
his thought goes forth into the work and receives the support or awakens 
the opposition of the reading public. A fair view of public questions, 
clearly presented, will therefore do more to form the general opinion of a 
community than any other one agency ; and as the editor of the Bucyrus 
Journal for forty years Mr. Hop ley has been an important factor in laboring 
for the interests of Crawford county along all lines o<f progress and advanced 
thought. 

A native of England, he was born in Whitstable, in 1821. His paternal 
ancestors were substantial farmers of Suffolk county. His father was a 
surgeon in the British navy, and after his retirement from the army prac- 
ticed the profession of medicine and surgery at Whitstable, in Kent, and 
afterward in Lewes, Sussex county, one of the oldest towns in England. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 159 

He married a Miss Prat, who was descended from a long line of ancestry 
distinguished in the Church of England. Our subject has a genealogical 
table of the line of his descendants on the maternal side for hundreds 
of years. 

John Hopley, of this review, pursued his education in the Royal Xaval 
College, then located at Camberwell, in the county of Surry, a suburb of 
London, but at the present time it is situated at Newcross, in Surry. This 
college is for the sons of naval officers, and its course is very extensive and 
thorough, but it is not licensed to confer degrees. Accommodations are 
furnished for three hundred and thirty pupils, all of whom reside in the 
college. The Bell or monitorial system of teaching was in vogue. It was 
to this extent a normal, for the monitors at the head of their classes received 
much experience in the art and duties of teaching. Mr. Hopley excelled in 
athletics as well as in study. He was a constant and often successful con- 
testant for the honors of the various classes. About the close of his col- 
lege course he was made a teacher, and remained in the institution for 
some years. In 1842, soon after attaining his majority, he came to the 
United States with his maternal uncle. John R. Prat, of Zanesville, Ohio, 
whose store he entered in the capacity of clerk. He there continued until 
1844, when he began teaching with a view of entering upon the study of 
law and making its practice his life work. In 1845 ne removed to Logan, 
Hocking county, and induced the trustees to establish graded schools. 
theirs being among the first graded schools in the state. The system which 
he inaugurated was highly successful and proved an important factor in 
advancing the educational interests of Ohio. 

In 1848 Mr. Hopley was united in marriage to Miss Georgiana Roches- 
ter, the fourth daughter of John Rochester, of Logan, Ohio. Her father 
was born near London, England, January 9, 1796, and in 1816 he mar- 
ried Miss Gladle. a daughter of a French gentleman who left his native 
land, owing to the French revolution, and entered the English arm}- as an 
officer and was killed in Spain while fighting against Napoleon. Mr. Roches- 
ter came to America in 1820, settling at Englishtown, Athens county, Ohio, 
but soon removed to Logan, where for nearly half a century he was engaged 
in merchandising', being recognized as one of the most prominent and influ- 
ential citizens of the place. For more than forty-four years he was a mem- 
ber of the Presbyterian church and served for thirty-four years as an elder, 
while through a long period he was superintendent of the Sunday-school 
and a trustee of the church property. He aided greatly in promoting the 



160 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

moral advancement of the people among- whom he lived, and the memory 
of his upright career remains as an inspiration and benediction to all who 
knew him. He died November 28, 1876, at the age of eighty-one years. 
His daughter, Mrs, Hopley, was born July 22, 1826. 

Desiring to study slavery and its influence upon the social life of the 
south, Mr. Hopley removed to Tennessee, becoming a teacher in a school 
at Yellow Creek, that state, and later he engaged in teaching near Elk- 
town, Kentucky, and in New Providence, Tennessee, and during this time 
he gave earnest thought and attention to the institution of slavery and its 
influences. In 1852 he returned to Logan, where he remained for three 
years, and in addition to his work as a teacher he seiwed as supervisor of 
the schools. In 1855 he was made instructor in mathematics and com- 
mercial arithmetic in the Grangers' Commercial College, but that institution 
was not a very substantial one and in six months he removed to Wellsville, 
Union county, Ohio, and took charge of the schools there for a fractional 
term. From that place he came to Bucyrus, on the 12th of April, 1856, 
and was a very important factor in promoting the educational interests 
of this place in the middle of the century. The schools had been far from 
prosperous, but he entered upon the duties here with his usual thoroughness 
and zeal and the system which he established soon awakened the admiration 
of the people of this vicinity and of other portions of the state. In the 
school work he was an excellent organizer as well as disciplinarian and 
instructor. He knew how to utilize his forces, studied his pupils individ- 
ually and was particularly proficient in imparting to' them the knowledge 
he had acquired so as to make a lasting impression upon their minds. 

In 1858 Mr. Hopley was admitted to the bar, having in the meantime 
devoted much of his leisure to the mastery of the principles of jurisprudence. 
He then entered into partnership with A. M. Jackson, but the following 
year this was discontinued and he opened an office of his own and con- 
tinued to practice with encouraging success until 1862. In that year he 
went to England with Thomas Alsop on professional business, and on his 
return his law practice was virtually destroyed, for owing to the absence 
in the army of many parties who were needed as witnesses no cases could 
be tried. Mr. Hopley was then appointed by Mr. Chase to a clerkship in 
the office of the second auditor of the treasury, and soon by special order of 
Mr. Chase he was transferred to the latter's office, having- a desk in the 
library of the treasury. As he found opportunity he studied the financial 
problems and employed his pen effectively in advancing- the financial policy 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 161 

<>t~ the secretary of the treasury and the establishment of national banks. 
After the national bank law was passed he was transferred to the banking 
and currency bureau. Hugh McCullough, who was then comptroller of 
currency, placed Mr. Hopley in charge of the statistical department of the 
bureau. His duties there included examination of regular reports and the 
reports of the bank examiners. Mr. Hopley during that period of his life 
occasionally furnished data for speeches made by members of congress 
whereby the statesmen became distinguished. 

In 1864 he resigned his position in order to accept an offered position in 
a large bank in Xew York. In 1866 he went to Washington in a private- 
capacity for his employer, and was soon afterward appointed national bank 
examiner for all the southern states excepting" Delaware, Maryland and 
Virginia. Kansas was afterward added to the list. After completing- this 
work in 180- he returned to Bucyrus, and in September purchased a half 
interest in the Bucyrus Journal. In May of the following year he became 
sole owner, and, becoming absorbed in journalism, he abandoned his inten- 
tion to enter upon the practice of law, and has since given his time to his 
work as a representative of the press. From August, 1870, until January, 
1879, he served as postmaster of Bucyrus, but has never given his news- 
paper work into the charge of others. He has continued to be a close 
student of the important questions of the day affecting the state and national 
welfare, and the keen, analytical mind of the lawyer, added to the compre- 
hensive knowledge of the journalist, have made his treatment of such sub- 
jects of great interest, his opinions being quoted by the press throughout 
his section of the country. 

On the 19th of April, 1898, Mr. Hopley and his wife celebrated their 
golden wedding. The members of their family are as follows : Charles 
Rochester ; John Edward ; Thomas Prat, who died in childhood ; Thomas 
Prat, Mary Catherine, Georgiana Eliza, Harriet Eveline. James Richard, 
Frank Lewis and Joseph William. The second named is now United States 
consul at Southampton, England. 

Viewed in a personal light, Mr. Hoplev is a strong man, of excellent 
judgment, fair in his views and highly honorable in all his relations with 
his fellow men. Fie is a man of very strong convictions, and his integrity 
stands as an unquestioned fact in his career. He has always been a student, 
and the scope and amplitude of his knowledge render him a charming- con- 
versationalist. He is in full sympathy with all the great movements of the 
world about him and watches the progress of events with the keenest interest. 



162 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Though severe at times toward men and measures deserving- criticism, he 
is nevertheless a generous friend and warm advocate of those who are bat- 
tling for the right and of principles and policies for the public good. 



CHILDREN OF JOHN HOPLEY. 

All the children of Mr. Hopley are more or less engaged in the news- 
paper business. 

J. E. Hopley was for years in newspaper business in New York, and 
afterward, at Bucvrus, established and managed the Evening' Telegraph, 
the first daily newspaper established in Bucyrus. He took an active part 
in the politics of his congressional district, where he was a prominent and 
successful political manager. He was mainly instrumental in securing the 
nomination and election of Hon. S. R. Harris, a Republican, to congress, 
in a congressional district in which the natural Democratic majority is ovec 
four thousand. He acted as private secretary, at Washington, to the con- 
gressman whom he had so actively contributed to elect, and in this position, 
by his political foresight and ability, he became known to the prominent 
Republicans of the state. He is at present United States consul at South- 
ampton, England. 

Thomas P. Hopley was for some time a bookkeeper in his father's 
office. He was, and he is, a strong Prohibitionist and established the Tem- 
perance Ballot. Before commencing the publication of his paper he can- 
vassed the county for subscribers, and by this systematic visitation he 
secured a very large subscription list and placed his temperance paper on a 
paying basis before he had issued the first number. He continued this 
active canvass and knew more citizens in Crawford county than any other 
man in it. Having disposed of his paper to Andrew J. Hazlett, Esq., he 
went to Oklahoma and was among the first settlers at Enid, where he is 
now publishing two papers, both the daily and the weekly Enid News. Pie 
married Miss Rosa Curtis and is now the father of two children. 

Each of the daughters — Mary C, Georgia E. and Harriet E. — is directly 
or indirectly in newspaper work. Misses Mary and Harriet are both in 
Chicago, and Miss Georgia is a well known newspaper correspondent in 
this state. She was one of the women commissioners to the Paris Exposi- 
tion and represented Ohio as the commissioner at the Pan-American Exposi- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 163 

tion at Buffalo. At present, in the interest of the state labor bureau, she 
is investigating the condition of women and girls engaged in the factories 
at Columbus. 

James R. Hopley was in his father's office and is now with C. Harper, 
Esq., of Columbus, editing the Advertising World and also Ad. Art, two 
of the leading- advertising publications of the country, having the largest 
list of bona-fidc paid-up subscribers, — over twenty thousand. He is a news- 
paper man from his youth up, studying and practicing his profession as a 
science. 

Frank L. Hopley was also in his father's office until employed as 
manager of the advertising- department of the American Clay-Working 
Machinery Company, in which capacity he has been acting for several years. 

Joseph W. Hopley, the youngest of the family, was in his father's 
office when war was declared against Spain, and he went with his home 
company as newspaper correspondent, first to their camp at Washington 
and afterward to Cuba. He was with the company through the campaign- 
ing, and was present at the surrender of Santiago. Soon after this he 
contracted yellow fever, and after many weary and anxious weeks he was 
sent home a skeleton, only just alive. By good home nursing he was 
restored, and he is now assisting- his brother as deputy United States con- 
sul at Southampton, England. 

Charles R. Hopley is the only one of the family not in newspaper 
work either directly or indirectly. Ele was for years in the railroad busi- 
ness in Texas, and he is now in the Klondyke, where he owns several 
promising mining claims. 

CHARLES BREISINGER. 

It is pleasant indulgence to write the biography of a man who has been 
so prominent in the industrial and business affairs of the county as has 
Charles Breisinger. Ele has certainly won the somewhat hackneyed but ex- 
pressive title of the self-made man; the possibilities of accomplishment which 
surround each individual were improved by him, and by determined purpose, 
unflagging industry and a will to dare and to do he has worked his way 
steadily upward. He is now engaged in the manufacture of brick, a business 
which he has followed with marked success for nineteen years. 

Mr. Breisinger is a native of Wurtemberg, born July 28, 1853, and was 
reared and educated there, beginning his studies in the public schools. After 



i6 4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

arriving at years of maturity he married Miss Julia Baushlinger, a daughter 
of Daniel Baushlinger, and unto them were born live children, of whom 
Maude, Carrie, Sadie and Carl are living, and Robert is deceased. 

As before mentioned, Mr. Breisinger is connected with the manufacture 
of brick, establishing the enterprise in 1882. He was for some time asso- 
ciated in business with his father-in-law and the enterprise which they con- 
ducted was a successful one, but for the past nine years he has been identified 
with John Witter. They have a splendidly equipped plant, a large yard, steam 
power and a capacity of twenty-live thousand bricks each day. They own 
a splendid clay bed of eleven acres and in the yard employ twenty men. The 
brick which they produce is of an excellent quality, being manufactured after 
the most improved methods of the times and their sales are very extensive. In 
addition to the home trade they ship some brick and annually the business 
nets to the proprietors a good income. In his political affiliations Air. 
Breisinger is a Democrat and is deeply interested in the growth and success of 
the party. He belongs to the Royal Arcanum and to the Deutsche Gesellshaft. 
Mr. Breisinger and his family attend the Methodist Episcopal church and he 
co-operates in many movements for the general good, being a public-spirited 
and progressive citizen. 

GEORGE DOXXEXAYIRTH. 

There is ever a degree of satisfaction and profit in scanning the life 
history of one who has attained to eminent success as the diametrical result 
of his own efforts, and has had the mentality to direct his endeavors toward 
the desired end and to singleness and steadfastness of purpose. As a dis- 
tinctive type of the self-made man we can refer with singular proprietv to 
the honored subject of this sketch, the president of the Bucyrus City Bank 
and a well known and honored resident of Crawford countv. 

A native of Columbus, Ohio, George Donnenwirth was born January 
28. 1835, a son of George and Sophia (Anthony) Donnenwirth. His pater- 
nal grandparents, George and Magdalene (Ruth) Donnenwirth, were natives 
of France, who in 1827 crossed the Atlantic to the United States, locating 
first in Buffalo, New York, whence they removed to' Stark county, Ohio. 
In 1834 they came to Crawford county and secured land in Cranberry town- 
ship, where they spent the rest of their lives. They were the parents of 
five children, including George Donnenwirth, the father of our subject, who 
was born in Strasburg, France, September 7, 18 10, and was educated in 



AJ% 



"v^t^i-i 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 167 

the schools of his native town. At the age of fifteen he was apprenticed 
to the blacksmith's trade, and soon afterward accompanied his parents on 
their emigration to the new world. He found employment at his trade in 
Buffalo, New York, and later in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and then in Stark 
county, Ohio, and then worked on the Ohio canal, drifting to Columbus, 
Ohio, in 1833, and there he wedded, in 1834, Miss Sophia Anthony, who 
was born in Lorraine, France, in 1809, and died in Crawford county in 
1849. Their children were George 'and Adam (twin brothers), Jacob, Will- 
iam, Magdalene, Charles and John. Three other children died in childhood. 
William, Charles and Jacob are deceased. After the death of his first wife 
the father wedded Miss Caroline Derr, a native of Bavaria, Germany, and 
four children graced this union, namely: Lewis C, Franklin P., Sophia M. 
and Caroline M., but the last named has passed away. In 1838 the father 
came to Crawford county and located at Xew Washington, where he engaged 
in blacksmithing, continuing with success for several years. He became well 
and favorably known, and about 1846 was elected to the lower house of the 
state legislature, representing Crawford and Wyandot counties. In 1855 he 
was elected county treasurer and the following year removed to Bucyrus. 
the county seat, where he resided up to the time of his death, in 1884. ± n 
1868 he was chosen mayor of Bucyrus and filled the office for two terms of: 
one year each. In all the public positions which he was called upon to fill 
he discharged his duties with entire satisfaction to all concerned, his loyalty 
being above question, was prompt and energetic and gained the unqualified' 
approval of the best citizens. Flis judgment was considered sound and 
reliable in the councils of the Democratic part}", and he aided materially in 
advancing the best interests of his community. 

George Donnemvirth, whose name introduces this record, pursued his 
education in the schools of Xew Washington, Crawford county, until his 
fifteenth year, when he entered his father's shop and worked at the black- 
smith's trade for four years. On the expiration of that period he removed 
to Sandusky, Ohio, where he was employed in a grocery store for eighteen 
months. For a short time he was also a clerk in Burlington, Iowa, but 
returned to Bucyrus and entered a business career that has been prominently 
successful through a long period of forty-four years. His first venture was 
in connection with Henry Anthony. They established a brewery and after 
a short time Mr. Donnenwirth's father purchased Mr. Anthony's interest, 
the enterprise being then conducted under the firm name of George Donnen- 
wirth & Son. Upon the father's retirement, in 1875. Frank P. Donnen- 



1 68 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

wirth, a half-brother of our subject, entered the firm, and their business 
connection was maintained until 1889, when they sold the business. They 
had built up an excellent trade, having a large and constantly increasing 
patronage, owing to the excellence of the brewing product and through 
reliable business methods. In 1881 Mr. Donnen wirth was one of the organ- 
izers of the Monnett Bank, of Bucyrus, the style of which was changed in 
1892 to Bucyrus City Bank. He became a director of the institution upon 
its organization, and was also elected vice-president of the bank. Since 1886 
he has been its president, and the concern is one of the most substantial in 
this portion of Ohio. His business career in Bucyrus covers a period of 
about forty-three years and has been one of uninterrupted success due to 
tireless energy, cool, sound judgment and to strict integrity. These traits 
have been a tower of strength to the bank, and have had much to do with 
its steady and substantial growth . 

In 1865 George Donnenwirth was united in marriage to Miss Mary 
A. Fuhrman, of Bucyrus. Fraternally Mr. Donnenwirth is connected with 
the Masonic fraternity and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. 
A stanch advocate of Democratic principles, he exercises his right of franchise 
in support of the men and measures of the party, and on that ticket has 
been frequently called to public office. He is also active in formulating 
the policy and controlling the campaigns in his county, having served as a 
member of several committees, while his advice and counsel carry weight in 
Democratic circles. For twenty-five years, from 1874 until 1899, he served 
as a member of the school board, and for a number of years was its treas- 
urer. He has also been a member of the city council for fifteen years, and 
was treasurer of the township through a long period. In public office he has 
labored for the good of the majority, and his work has proved of benefit 
and value. In business affairs he has displayed great discrimination and 
superior executive ability, and such qualities, combined with industry and 
strong purpose, never fail to gain success. He stands to-day among - the 
wealthy residents of Bucyrus, and his enviable position in financial circles 
is well merited. 

THOMAS S. KENNEDY. 

Thomas S. Kennedy, whose success in life results from earnest, inde- 
fatigable efforts, is numbered among the leading and influential farmers and 
stock raisers of Dallas township, Crawford county, his farm being on section 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 169 

2. He was born in Tully township, Marion county, Ohio, October 23, 1848, 
and is of Irish lineage, for the name is of Irish origin. The family, however, 
was probably established in America at a very early day and the grandparents 
of our subject, Thomas and Nancy Kennedy, were both natives of Pennsyl- 
vania. In 1832 they left that state and coming to Ohio settled in Crawford 
county, where they spent their remaining days, passing away in Whetstone 
township. The journey to this state was made in a wagon, and during their 
early residence here they lived in true pioneer style. The grandfather died in 
the '40s, and the grandmother passed away in 1863. Their children were: 
William K., the father of our subject; Martha, who died in early woman- 
hood; Margaretta, who is living in Marion county, Ohio; John, deceased; 
Nancy Jane, who has also passed away; Thomas, who died in Jasper county, 
Indiana, in 1900; Sarah, deceased; Samuel, who is living in Whetstone town- 
ship; Mary E., who died in Marion county in 1901 ; and George Washington, 
who is living in Marion count}'. 

William K. Kennedy was born in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, February 
16, 18 1 8, and when a youth of fourteen accompanied his parents to this state, 
being reared here upon the home farm. He acquired a good common-school 
education and for a few terms engaged in teaching school. He had a strong 
mind, was a man of good judgment and was well informed. For five years 
he worked as a farm hand, at eleven dollars per month, being thus employed 
on the plains south of Bucyrus. For his first wife he married Miss Margaret 
Shank, who was born in Pennsylvania, and was of Pennsylvania-Dutch 
descent, her ancestors coming from Holland. Her parents, Jacob and Lydia 
(Bush) Shank, settled in Crawford county about 1832. Bv the marriage of 
Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy the following children were born: Nancy, who died 
at the age of three years ; Lydia Jane, the wife of Samuel Baker, of Dallas 
township; Thomas S., of this review; Martha, who died after her marriage; 
James W., who is residing in Marion county, Ohio; Emma, wife of Madison 
Roberts, of Marion county; Anzilla, wife of George Watts, of Marion county; 
Margaret, wife of John R. Hill, of Marion county. The mother died in 1861 
and a few years later the father married Mary Lance, a native of Pennsyl- 
vania, who still survives him and is living on the homestead farm in Marion 
county. By the second marriage there was one child, Samira, the wife of 
Elsworth Jones, of Marion county. Throughout his business career the 
father followed farming. He located on the boundary line between Crawford 
and Marion counties, his farm lying in both counties, but his residence in the 
latter, and there he remained until his life's labors were ended in death. He 



i/o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

prospered and gained a good estate. He engaged in dealing in and raised 
large flocks of sheep and also handled other stock. Being an excellent judge 
of domestic animals he was enabled to make judicious purchases and upon 
his investments he realized a handsome profit. 

Mr. Kennedy was reared upon the home farm and the labors of the. 
field and meadow became familiar to him during the period of his youth. 
The common school afforded him his educational privileges and through the 
winter months he pursued his studies, again taking up the work of the farm 
with returning spring. In 1874 he was married to Hester F. Monnett, a 
daughter of Thomas Monnett, of Marion county, and their union was 
blessed with twelve children: Thomas Mervin, William C, Otho W., Orange 
D., Myron G., Amy E., James C, Ollie, Ralph, Myrtle, Almet and Jay. The 
last named died at the age of two years, but the others are all living, and 
three of the sons, Thomas Mervin, William C. and Otho W-, have engaged 
in teaching in the district schools. 

After his marriage Mr. Kennedy began farming in WTetstone town- 
ship, Crawford county, where he remained for seven years, after which he 
removed to his present place of residence. Here he owns two hundred and 
eighty acres of land, and in addition he has eighty acres a mile west, forty 
acres in Whestone township and one hundred and seventy-five acres in 
Marion county. In connection with general farming he raises cattle, sheep 
and hogs and also buys and sells others. His business interests are well con- 
ducted and directed along progressive and straightforward lines. His fellow 
townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, have frequently called him to 
public office, and he has satisfactorily served in a number of minor positions,, 
but he has never been an aspirant for political office. In his political views 
he is a Democrat, and in religious faith is a Methodist. His life is honorable, 
his actions sincere, and his integrity unquestioned, and in Crawford county 
lie has gained many warm friends who esteem him highly for his sterling 
worth. 

ROBERT K. WARNER. 

Among the honored pioneers who aided in laying broad and deep the 
foundations for the present prosperity and progress of Crawford county, who 
met the hardships and trials of pioneer life, yet continued an active factor in 
the work of reclaiming the wild land for purposes of civilization was Robert 
K. Warner. He was one of the representative men of the community, hon- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 171 

•ored by all for his sterling" worth and upright life, and in the biographical his- 
tory of the county he well deserves prominent mention. 

A native of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, Mr. Warner was born on 
the 8th of April, 1825, a son of Benjamin and Mary (Walton) Warner, both 
of whom were born in the same county and were of English descent. The 
father's birth occurred about 1801, the marriage was celebrated in 1822, and in 
1827 he came with his family to Ohio, traveling in a wagon drawn by four 
horses. When they were about four miles from Gallon the wagon sunk so 
deeply in the mud that the family were obliged to get out and walk the re- 
maining distance to the home of a relative in Galion, leaving the wagon be- 
hind. The father remained in Crawford county throughout the remainder 
of his life and for many years carried on farming. He settled in the southern 
portion of Whetstone township, Crawford county, but in 1833 removed to a 
farm on section 35, Bucyrus township, where he resided through a long 
period. He was a successful farmer, although frail health prevented him from 
taking an active part in the work of the fields, but he capably managed his 
affairs and realized therefrom a good financial return. He died May 8, 1872, 
while visiting in Kankakee, Illinois, and his wife passed away March 7, 1877. 
He was a man of kind heart and noble purpose and his wife was a most ex- 
cellent woman. They were of the Quaker faith and lived useful and quiet lives, 
which gained them uniform respect. They had three children : Robert K. ; 
Harriet, the widow of St. Clair Welsh and a resident of Missouri ; and Louisa, 
the wife of Hiram Everet, of Iowa. 

Robert K. Warner was only two years of age when brought by his par- 
ents to Ohio, and here he was reared amid pioneer scenes and environments. 
The Wyandot Indians were still numerous in the county and he played with 
the "Johnny Cake boys" man)' a da}', also learned their language. It was in 
1836 that he attended the first school taught in Dallas township, the teacher 
being Miss Susan Bovee. Lie continued his education in the old log school 
house until twenty years of age and was reared to manhood upon the farm, 
where he early became familiar with the work of caring for the stock and 
cultivating the field. Lessons of industry and perseverance were early im- 
pressed upon his mind and were active factors in his successful career. He 
remained under the parental roof until he had reached his twenty-third year, 
when he was married. 

The wedding was celebrated November 22, 1847, Miss Martha Monnett 
becoming his wife. She is a daughter of Jeremiah and Elsie (Slagle) Mon- 
nett, and to her husband she proved a most faithful companion and help- 



172 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

mate on the journey of life. For a year and a half they resided on a farm 
on section 26, Bucyrus township, on the Columbus & Sandusky road 
and then removed to the old homestead on section 27, of the same township, 
where Mrs. Warner still makes her home. At that time he owned one hundred 
and twenty acres of land, to which he added in later years, until at the time 
of his death his farm property comprised four hundred and twenty acres. In 
1875 he erected a fine residence and afterward built a barn. He was a suc- 
cessful business man and gained a large estate, dying a wealthy man. The 
home was blessed with four children : Ellen, the wife of W. T. Mclvinstry, 
of Bucyrus township; Mary, the widow of Albert Yaker ; Harriet, the wife 
of Smith C. Caldwell; and Louisa, who married Francis M. Caldwell. They 
reside with her mother on the old homestead. 

Mrs. Warner is now in her seventy-fifth year and yet enjoys fair health. 
She was born and reared a Methodist and has been a member of the church 
since fourteen years of age, her entire life being in harmony with her pn> 
fessions. In his political views Mr. Warner was a strong Republican and held 
a few minor political positions, but was not an office seeker. He was highly 
esteemed for his strict regard for honesty and upright principles and in his 
religious faith was a Quaker, living a life consistent with that faith. He 
passed away October 14, 1889. In his friendships he was faithful and in the 
discharge of his duties of citizenship he was loyal and true, while in his family 
he was a devoted husband and father, finding his greatest happiness in min- 
istering to his family. 

ALBERT M. ENSMINGER. 

The press has not only recorded the history of advancement, but has 
also been the leader in the work of progress and improvement, — the van- 
guard of civilization. The philosopher of some centuries ago proclaimed the 
truth that the pen is mightier than the sword, and the statement is continually 
being verified in the affairs of life. In molding public opinion the power of 
the newspaper cannot be estimated, but at all events its influence is greater 
than any other single agency. 

In the history of Bucyrus, therefore, an account of the Daily and Weekly 
Forum should form an important factor, as this journal is the oldest estab- 
lished one of the count}- and its present proprietors keep in touch with the 
most advanced methods of journalism, making the paper one of great value 
in Crawford county. Albert Milton Ensminger was associated with this paper 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPEIICAL HISTORY. 17$ 

from 1890 until October, 1901, when it was sold to the newly organized Bu- 
cyrus Publishing Company. He was born in Perry county, Pennsylvania, 
September 27, 1858, and traces his ancestry back to Christian Ensminger, who 
was born in the Keystone state June 8, 1762, and died March 6, 1836. His 
second son, David Ensminger, the grandfather of our subject, was born in 
Perry county, Pennsylvania, and married Barabar Messinger. Their son, 
Henry Ensminger, was born in Perry county, Pennsylvania, February 2, 
1826, and pursued his education in the district schools near his home. He 
afterward turned his attention to agricultural pursuits and followed farming 
in Pennsylvania until 1866, when he settled in Jefferson township, Crawford 
county, Ohio. In that year he established a store, and for two' years was 
in partnership with his brother, George Ensminger, at North Robinson, the 
connection being dissolved by the death of the brother. Henry Ensminger 
then carried on business alone for four years, when he disposed of his mer- 
cantile enterprise and purchased a farm near North Robinson, upon which he 
resided until 1879. In that year he came to Bucyrus and opened a dry goods 
store in the Ouinby block, being identified with business affairs in this city 
for some time. He was known as a reliable and trustworthy merchant and 
enjoyed the business confidence of the public in an unusual degree. He mar- 
ried Susan Jacobs, and his death occurred in Bucyrus, February 24, 1892. 
Unto this worthy couple were born the following children: Franklin P., Albert 
M., Charles E., Anna M. and Alberta E. 

Albert Milton Ensminger, whose name forms the caption of this article, 
pursued his education in the public schools of Crawford county, Ohio, and 
on the completion of his literary course entered the law department of the 
State University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, where he was graduated 
with the class of 1882. In the same year he was admitted to the 
Ohio bar and began practice in Bucyrus. In 1885 he was elected city so- 
licitor and discharged his duties so capably that he was re-elected for a 
second term. After his retirement from office he became associated with The 
Forum, and has since been connected with the paper except during the period 
from the 1st of August, 1894, until the 1st of September, 1898, when he 
was postmaster of Bucyrus. 

On the 1 6th of December, 1886, Mr. Ensminger was united in marriage 
to Miss Carrie Blair, a daughter of E. Blair, president of the Second National 
Bank of Bucyrus and a most prominent citizen. Their only child, Edward 
Blair, was born September 2, 1899. Mr. Ensminger is a member of St. 
Paul's English Lutheran church and socially he is connected with the Knights 



174 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

of Pythias fraternity and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In 
his political affiliations he is a stalwart Democrat and was a candidate for 
presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1888. He has been an im- 
portant factor in the progress and upbuilding of Bucyrus since locating here, 
and educational, church and social interests owe their promotion in a con- 
siderable degree to his efforts. 



WILLIAM W. REEHL. 

William W. Reehl, the subject of this sketch, was born in Bucyrus on 
Februarv 22, 1868, attended the public schools until 1885, and then he took 
a business course in the Nelson Commercial College, of Cincinnati. After 
finishing his course he accepted a position as bookkeeper for Lee Cann & 
Company, of that city, but resigned to enter business for himself. Return- 
ing to Bucyrus, he entered the firm of Reehl & Howe, hardware dealers, an 
enterprise which he did much to build up. Owing to failing health, he sold 
his interest to G. P. Fisher, and after six months of rest and recuperation he, 
in December, 1888, with others, organized the Frey-Sheckler Company, 
which bought out the Frey-Sheckler & Hoover Company, manufacturers of 
clay-working machinery. In organizing the business staff of the new com- 
pany Air. Reehl was made head bookkeeper, and after a year was made 
auditor of the company, acting in that capacity until September, 1896, when 
a consolidation of the Frey-Sheckler Company and the firm of J. W. Pen- 
field & Son, oi Willoughby, Ohio, was consummated under the firm name 
of The American Clay-Working Machinery Company, with general offices 
in Bucyrus. Under the consolidation Mr. Reehl was made secretary and 
resident manager of the Bucyrus plant. He has continued in this capacity 
since his election to the office and has contributed in large measure to the 
phenomenal success of the enterprise. The American Clay-Working- Ma- 
chinery Company does the most extensive business of its kind in the world, 
its products being shipped to all parts of this country and abroad. They 
manufacture a full line of clay-working, cement and pottery machinery, and 
employ over four hundred workmen in their combined plants. In 1888 
the Bucyrus and Willoughby plants combined employed about fifty-six men, 
which taken in comparison with the present pay-roll indicates the great 
increase in business. 

Mr. Reehl is also the president of the New York Blower Company, a 



CEXTEXXIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 177 

growing enterprise composed largely of eastern capitalists, devoted to the 
manufacture of heating and ventilating machinery. The company was 
established in Bucyrus in 1899. Owing to his ability as a manager, Mr. 
Reehl was selected as the head of the company, a position he assumed in 
January, 1901. The employes of the company number nearly a hundred, 
with branch offices in Xew York, Boston and Chicago. 

On January 7, 1892. Mr. Reehl was married to Miss Margaret Troop 
Harris, of Peoria, Illinois, Miss Harris being a daughter 01 D. W. C. Harris. 
Two children grace their union: Helen Harris, born May 20, 1894, and 
William \\\, born December 5, 1900. The parents occupy an enviable posi- 
tion in social circles, the hospitality of the best homes in Bucyrus being open 
to them. They also belong to the Presbyterian church. Air. Reehl having 
served on the board of trustees of the church. Mr. Reehl is a young man, 
but has already attained a position in business circles that many a man of 
even twice his years might well envy. His determination and keen sagacity, 
combined with unflagging diligence and scrupulous honesty, have been the 
salient features of his success. 

Air. Reehl is of German parentage. His father, Nicholas Reehl, was 
born at Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, August 1, 1825. The parents of 
Nicholas Reehl, Michael Reehl and Anna Louise Plaizer Reehl, were life- 
long residents of Hessen, the wife having been born at Allarts-Hofen, Ger- 
many. Michael Reehl died Septembei 14. 1S52, his wife preceding him in 
February of the same year. The son, Nicholas Reehl, came to the United 
States in 1847, an d after a year spent in Philadelphia he removed, in 1848, 
to Bucyrus. Soon after Ins arrival he formed the acquaintance of Anna 
Elizabeth Kreighbaum, and on May 13. 185 1, they were married. Mrs. 
Nicholas Reehl was born in Reichenbach, Germany, December 10, 1828, and 
came to this country in 1849, landing at New Orleans, and later settling 
at Upper Sandusky. Her parents were Falten Kreighbaum, who died Feb- 
ruary 2, 1850, and Katherine Kaffenberger, who died December 10, 1866. 
The marriage of Air. and Airs. Nicholas Reehl was solemnized at Colnm- 
bus, and they at once removed to Bucyrus, where they were identified with 
the earlv historv of the community, Air. Reehl following his trade of wagon 
and carriage-maker, and later on becoming largely interested in manufactur- 
ing and real estate. Airs. Reehl died in the fullness of a well spent life on 
September 12, 1899. To Air. and Airs. Reehl nine children were born, as 
follows: Henry, born October 28, 1852, deceased; Carl, born October 30, 
1853, deceased: Louisa, born November 3, 1855, the wife of Rev. John 



173 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Horst, of Coving-ton, Kentucky; Lewis, born July 29, 1858, deceased; John, 
born October 28, 1861, deceased; Edward, born December 14, 1862, deceased; 
Katherine M., Bucyrus, Ohio, born December 1, 1864; William W., born 
February 22, 1S68; and Samuel, born May 21, 1870, deceased. 

DANIEL PFLEIDERER. 

The ancestors of the Pfleiderer family were old and established families of 
AYurtemberg, Germany, where their thrift, energy and economy had brought 
them a comfortable competence ; but a restless spirit entered into the younger 
members, as they saw their sons growing up about them, and some of them 
decided to emigrate to the great country across the sea. where there was land 
for all. Among- these came Christian and his wife Barbara (Auberly) 
Pfleiderer, the former born in 1789, the latter in 1794. They left Germany 
in the spring of 183 1, with their children, — Adam. Jacob. David and Chris- 
tian, — and after ninety-two days on the ocean, they landed in Baltimore, 
Maryland, and pursued their journey across the continent until they reached 
Columbiana county, Ohio. Winter was near and they were weary of travel, 
and although they intended to go into the forest they wisely decided that it 
was not the season to go into an unsettled portion of the country. They 
found shelter with the family of Air. Seacrist. and Air. Pfleiderer went to 
work at whatever jobs he could find, as did also the oldest boys. As soon 
as spring opened they purchased a yoke of oxen and an old wagon, and thus 
equipped set out for Crawford county, where thev arrived the first week in 
April. They located on eighty acres, which had been entered by the father 
during their stay in Columbiana county, and on arriving in Crawford county 
he purchased an adjoining eighty acres for one hundred and forty-five dollars. 
The improvements on this tract consisted of a miserable lob cabin, and there 
the family found refuge until the}' had time to build a more comfortable one, in 
which there was scarcely a nail used in construction. About one year later 
the father bought another eighty acres, for one hundred and forty dollars. In 
those days each settler felt honorably called upon to assist every other, and 
soon after his location the father was asked to assist a man by the name of 
Ludwig Geiger to raise a cabin. By some accident a pole fell upon Air. 
Pfleiderer and broke his right leg. This was a terrible discouragement, for 
there was so much work to be done in the clearing of land and improving the 
farm. No clearing had yet been done and no crops could be started, but fortu- 
nately he had brought some means with him, and the money earned by him 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 179 

and his sons in the cranberry marshes, upon their arrival in Ohio, had been 
saved, and things were not so desperate as they were with some pioneers. Just 
as he seemed to be recovering from his accident, however, paralysis set in and 
he was alive but a short time afterward, expiring suddenly. 

This was a terrible blow to the widow with her six children, two of 
whom had come amid the stress of the years after the family arrived in Ohio. 
John and Daniel, our subject, who was but an infant at this time, having been 
born in Liberty township, on April 10, 1840, were too small to be of any 
assistance at this time, but the older children went sturdily to work, and, 
assisted by the mother, commenced to clear the land, and finally succeeded 
in a most admirable manner. Later the mother married a neighbor, John 
Heckenlively, but spent her last years with her son David. She was a re- 
markable woman, a true type of the pioneer. At the advanced age of ninety 
she would walk several miles to take part in the services of the Lutheran 
church, of which she was a devoted member, and walk home again, without 
apparent fatigue. She would relate that in early pioneer clays the congrega- 
tion would walk to church barefoot, in flax shirts and homespun dresses. 

Daniel Pfleiderer was but nine months old when his father died, but re- 
mained with his mother until he was twelve, and then, as she had married 
again, he started out to make his own way in the world. His education was 
necessarily limited. He worked at farm work, as this was all he knew any- 
thing about, and had saved enough by the time he was twenty-one to pur- 
chase a team and wagon and then he began farming, on shares, on the old home 
place for his mother. In 1862 he was married to Miss Mary Kafer. the 
daughter of John Kafer, who came to Crawford county, Ohio, at an early day, 
from Germany and became one of the prosperous farmers of Liberty town- 
ship. 

After his marriage Daniel Pfleiderer was employed on the home farm 
for one year, but in 1863 he purchased sixty acres of land in section 4 and 
removed to his new home. Three years later he sold this and purchased eighty 
acres in Chatfield township, and there he resided until 1873, when he ex- 
changd this farm for one hundred acres of his present home farm, where he 
has ever since remained. During the subsequent years he has added to his land, 
until he now owns two hundred and thirty acres of the rich and productive 
soil of Crawford county. Mr. Pfleiderer comes of good stock and in no 
way could he have proved this more than in the success which he has made of 
his business life. 

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Pfleiderer are: Eliza, the wife of 



i So CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

James Givens, of Mercer county, Ohio ; Lizzie, deceased ; Tillie, the wife of 
Charles Hillboat, of Mercer county; John, a butcher of North Robinson, this 
county; Rosa, at home; Emma, the wife of William Rhine, of Bucyrus; Laura, 
at home ; Edward, on a portion of the home farm ; and James and Jane, at 
home. 

Although Mr. Ptieiderer has been a life-long Democrat and somewhat 
prominent in township affairs, he has never sought office, but has cheerfully 
and efficiently served on the school board for several years. Both he and his 
wife are consistent members of the Lutheran church and have carefully reared 
their children in the same faith. The family is one which is held in high es- 
teem in Crawford county. 

ABRAHAM FROST. 

Among the prominent, successful and highly esteemed farmers of Holmes 
township, Crawford county, Ohio, is Abraham Frost, who was born in North- 
ampton county, Pennsylvania, on March 18, 1825, a son of George and 
Christina (Kindt) Frost, and was one of a family of eleven children, four of 
whom survive: Uriah, who resides in this township; Abraham; Isaac, who 
resides in Osceola; and Julia A., who is the wife of Mr. Hines, of Nebraska. 

George Frost was born in the state of New Jersey and early in life dis- 
played a talent for working in wood. He learned the trade of wagon-making 
and was constantly employed in developing a mechanical genius. All of his 
furniture Was made by his own hands, and he finally constructed a carding- 
machine, which he used for twenty years. After his marriage he removed to 
Northampton county, Pennsylvania, where he w T as given, free of charge, water 
power for his carding-machine, if he would build and operate a carding-mill, 
and bought a small tract of land near the mill, from which came his power, con- 
sisting of some twenty acres ; but later he sold this land and purchased a desir- 
able farm, of eight}- acres, although he was obliged to hire labor to work it 
until his sons grew old enough to take charge of it. 

In the spring of 1840, Mr. Frost came to Wayne county, where he 
remained for two years, farming on rented land, and then removed to Liberty 
township, Crawford count}-, where he was engag-ed in farming until the 
outbreak of the Civil war. So interested was Mr. Frost in the stirring events 
of the time that he insisted upon going to town to obtain news from the seat 
of war for himself, although at this time he was in his seventy-fourth year, 
that he became the victim of a fast train on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 1S1 

Chicago Railroad and was instantly killed. Early in life Mr. Frost was a 
Democrat, casting his vote for Andrew Jackson, but later his adherence to that 
party weakened and before his death he had become an ardent Republican. 
His life was one of morality, and although he never was formally connected 
with any religious organization he contributed freely and was a constant at- 
tendant upon religious services. 

The mother of our subject was born in Northampton county, Pennsyl- 
vania, also, about 1798, and died in her forty-fourth year. She was the 
daughter of Martin and Elizabeth Kindt, both of whom passed their whole 
lives in Pennsylvania. Both parents are remembered with affection and 
respect, and their counsels and care had much to do in the formation of the 
character of their children, all of the survivors of the large family being es- 
teemed and respected in their several neighborhoods. 

Abraham Frost grew up under his father's care, working on the farm and 
assisting in other ways, attending school and growing to manhood, strong, 
moral and energetic, a son of whom his parents were pardonably proud. At the 
age of twenty-one he began his personal business career, in Bucyrus, working 
at a gristmill. After his first marriage he rented a house one and one-half 
miles west of Bucyrus and worked industriously, sometimes at chopping wood 
and sometimes at other labor which he found to do, managing to save enough 
money to purchase eighty acres in Todd township, and later added to this 
twenty-seven acres, making a nice farm of one hundred and seven acres, but he 
never resided upon this place and later disposed of it, advantageously, and 
bought his present farm, of one hundred and lift}- acres, having previously re- 
sided upon it after his second marriage. In 1872 Air. Frost erected his pres- 
ent handsome brick residence, which is one of the best in the county. 

In j 850, Air. Frost was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Hollinger, and 
to this marriage one child was born, deceased; and Airs. Frost, on account 
of giving birth to this child, died some six days later, on July 3. 185 1. The 
second marriage of Air. Frost was in 1852, to Aliss Esther H. AlcCollongh, a 
native of Crawford county, who was born upon the farm which is now the 
family home. The father of Airs. Frost, AYilliam AlcCollongh, was a pio- 
neer of 1828, and entered the land at that time. Ten children were born to 
this union, the eight survivors being: Nancy, the wife of D. W. Myers, of 
this township ; Laura, the wife of George Studer, of Fresno county, California ; 
Jnlia, the widow of F. E. Brester, of Dunkirk, Ohio; Jay. of Bucyrus town- 
ship; Ira, of Holmes township; Dilla, the wife of Frank V. Steen, of Holmes 
township; Willis, the farmer on the home place; and Ida, the wife of George 



1 82 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Goodwin, of Holmes township. The death of Mrs. Frost was in 1873. In 
1877 Mr. Frost was married to Mrs. Jerry Orthwein, formerly Miss Christina 
Bahler. a native of Germany, who came to America, with a brother, when she 
was but twelve years of age. She died September 9, 1888. One son, Frank, 
has been born of this marriage, and he resides at home. 

Mr. Frost is known to be a stanch Republican, and he was first a "Know 
Nothing," and has ever taken an intelligent interest in public affairs. For 
many years he has been a leading member of the Presbyterian church and one 
of its liberal supporters. During an extended period Mr. Frost has been frater- 
nally connected with the I. O. O. F., and has been an active and interested 
member, but in late years he has not felt disposed to attend the night meet- 
ings. He is also connected with Bucyrus Grange, No. 507, P. of H., and is 
one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Holmes township. 

FRANK E. LIEBICH. 

Frank E. Liebich, assistant postmaster of Bucyrus, was born March 3, 
1859, in the city which is now his home, and during the greater part of his life 
has been identified with its business and public interests. His grandfather, 
Franz Otto Liebich, was a native of Germany and died when about fifty-two 
years of age, while his wife, Mrs. Amelia Liebich, who was also a native of the 
same country, passed away in 1883. Their son. Leo Otto Liebich, the father 
of our subject, was born in Gera, Germany, January 29, 1830, and in 1857 
emigrated to the new world, settling at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he resided for a 
few months and then came to Bucyrus. Here he entered the employ of a Mr. 
Beam, in the printing office of the. Democrat, and a year later he entered 
into partnership with a Mr. Koch, and purchased the office and paper, conduct- 
ing business under the name of Koch & Liebich. They continued to publish 
the paper for some years and met with success in the undertaking. Mr. Lie- 
bich was married in 1858, to Teresa Hoffman, who was a daughter of Andrew 
and Annie Hoffman. The father of our subject died February 22, 1884. 

In his boyhood days Frank E. Liebich pursued his education in the public 
schools of Bucyrus, but at an early age put aside his text-books and accepted a 
position in a woolen mill. On leaving that service he went into a printing office, 
where he was engaged in setting type. Six years were passed in such employ- 
ments, and from 1878 until 1881 he followed the carpenter's trade. From 
1 88 1 until 1883 he was a member of the firm of Broemel & Liebich, proprietors 
of woolen mills, in which they engaged in the manufacture of blankets, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 183 

woolens, yarns and also did custom work for farmers. The firm continued 
in existence for about two years, on the expiration of which period Mr. Liebich 
sold his interest to his partner and through the succeeding year resided in 
Cleveland, where he was employed as a hard-wood finisher. In 1884. he 
returned to Bucyrus and entered the service of the firm of Roehr & Sons, 
manufacturers of banking and church furniture. During President Cleve- 
land's administration Mr. Liebich was appointed assistant postmaster of 
Bucyrus under Shannon Clement, and served four years, after which he 
returned to his old employers, the firm of Rohr & Sons, who at that time were 
giving work to about one hundred men, and during his second period of 
service for that firm he was selected among others of their employes to go 
to Chicago and put in place a large amount of work made by the firm for 
exhibitors at the World's Columbia Exposition. During President Cleve- 
land's second administration he was again appointed assistant postmaster, 
under A. M. Ensminger, and has occupied the same position under Postmaster 
J. E. Hall. In March, 1901, he was chosen by the Bucyrus city board of 
education a member thereof, to fill the vacancy which was occasioned by the 
resignation of J. F. Angel, and at the general election on April 1st, he was 
elected a member of the board. 

On Christmas day of 1884, in Bucyrus, Mr. Liebich was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Louise Hertzer, a daughter of Theodore and Louise Hert- 
zer. Unto them have been born four children, namely : Arthur Theodore, 
who was born March 17, 1886; Richard Otto, born October 18, 1888; Alma 
Marie, born August 6, 1892; and Frank August, born August 18, 1899. Mr. 
Liebich is a consistent member of the German Lutheran church and also be- 
longs to the Deutsche Gesellschaft, a very strong German organization. He 
has a wide acquaintance in Bucyrus, and the strong elements in his character 
are such as to win for him uniform respect. 

Mrs. EMMA J. DALZELL. 

A history of the educational interests of Bucyrus would be incomplete 
without mention of Mrs. Emma J. Dalzell, a most successful teacher who oc- 
cupied a posit-on in the second-grade primary for years. She has been a 
representative of the educational work of Bucyrus since 1874, having taught 
continuously from that time, with the exception of a period of three months, 
until June, 1901, when she resigned her position in the city schools. 

She is a native of Huron county, Ohio, and in 1873 came to Bucyrus with 



1 8 4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

her parents, Samuel and Rebecca (Bergert) Frisbie. Mrs. Dalzell was very 
young at the time of her father's death and she then went to live with an aunt, 
Mrs. Mary Moffi't, who now resides with her, and who is a most interesting 
old lady. Mrs. Dalzell pursued her education in the schools of Bucyrus and 
at the age of fourteen began teaching at Wingert Corners, in Crawford coun- 
ty, where she taught for several terms. 

She was married in this county to William Dalzell, a native of Columbus, 
Ohio, who accompanied his parents on their removal to Crawford county dur- 
ing his earlv childhood, the family locating in Chatfield township, where he 
was reared to manhood. At the time of the Civil war he responded to the 
country's call for troops, enlisting in 1861 as a member of the Fifty-seventh 
Ohio Infantry, with which he served throughout the war, the regiment being 
attached to the Arm}- of the Tennessee. He was in all of the battles with that 
corps and was ever found at his post of duty as a loyal defender of the stars 
and stripes and the cause it represented. The rigors and hardships of the 
war, however, undermined his health, which he never fully recovered and his 
army experience was the ultimate cause of his death, which occurred in 1871, 
when he was thirty years of age. He had been engaged in business in Bucy- 
rns for a short time. His parents were John and Sallie (Raymond) Dalzell. 
Unto Mr. and Mrs. William Dalzell were born two daughters, Eva and Lottie, 
the former is a graduate of the high school of Bucyrus and is now teaching in 
the grammar school, No. 8, of this city, while the latter is the wife of William 
Redman, of Canton, Ohio. 

In 1874, after her husband's death, Mrs. Dalzell accepted a position in 
the city schools of Bucyrus, holding the same until she resigned in June. 1901. 
She is a very successful educator, having the ability to impress strongly and 
forcibly upon the young minds the principles of knowledge with which each 
child must become acquainted as a preparation for life's work. She holds 
membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and is a woman of high char- 
acter whose many excellent qualities of heart and mind have won her the high 
regard and esteem of all with whom she has come in contact. 

MICHAEL AUCK. 

Michael Auck, a well known resident of Bucyrus, is a son of Chris- 
topher Auck, a native of Germany, born in Wurtemberg January 31, 1813. 
The name was originally spelled Auch. The father obtained a fair educa- 
tion in his native land, and at an early age was apprenticed to learn the 






<^fx, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 187 

tailor's trade. In the year 183 1 he emigrated to the United States, locating 
in Pennsylvania, where, in 1841, he was united in marriage to Rachel Wag- 
ner. By this union three children were born, the living being Michael and 
Elizabeth, while Mary is now deceased. In the year 1848 the father removed 
from Pennsylvania to Crawford county, Ohio; and purchased a farm in 
Whetstone township. His first wife died on the 2d of September, 1875, 
and on the 7th of September of the folio-wing year he was united in mar- 
riage to Catherine Flick, who was born in 1818, and since the demise of 
her husband has made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Kunkle, of Belle- 
fontaine, Ohio, with whom she is now living, in her eighty-fourth year. 
Christopher Auck was long a respected and honored citizen of Crawford 
county. He never sought or desired office, but undoubtedly could have 
enjoyed political preferment had he so desired. He was a reliable citizen, a 
faithful friend and considerate neighbor, and wherever known was held in 
high esteem. 

Michael Auck. whose name forms the caption of this review, was born 
in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, July 23, 1842, and acquired a good com- 
mon-school education. On attaining his majority he started out in life on 
his own account, and on the 20th of September, 1866, he wedded Miss Caro- 
line Ehman, who was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, Februarv 9, 1845. 
Unto Mr. raid Mrs. .Auck have been born six children: Mary J., who became 
the wife of D. S. Schieber, of Bucvrus, in 1S87; John C, who. is living on the 
eld homestead in Whetstone township, and who in 1892 married Ora 
Andrews, a daughter of F. L. Andrews, of Liberty township; William H., 
who in 1898 wedded Theressa Seifert, of Jefferson county, Pennsvlvania, 
and was for one year an assistant in the office of county treasurer, his father- 
being his superior, after which the position of assistant cashier in the Sec- 
ond National Bank was tendered him and accepted: Lucy E., who was mar- 
ried, in 1890, to J. E. Myers, of Liberty township; Priscilla S., who, in 
October, '900, became the wife of H. G. Hoover, of Bucyrus ; and Samuel 
E., who was married, in December. 1900, to Lulu Viola Knoedler. He suc- 
ceeded his brother William in the position of deputy treasurer, and retained 
the office under the successor of his father, being now the bookkeeper for 
the American Gay-Working Machinery Company. 

Michael Auck was elected township treasurer of Whetstone township 

in 1880, and continued to serve in that position for seven years. On his 

retirement he became actively identified with business life, and has been 

connected with several mercantile ventures and industrial pursuits. He has 

10 



1 88 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

devoted seme time to the operation of his farm, and at intervals lias engaged 
in the administration of estates, often acting' as guardian and trustee. In 
all of these the character of the man has been attested by his honesty and 
integrity in the discharge of his duties. Now, when almost sixty years 
of age, Mr. Auck is in the vigor and prime of an active business life, and 
frccjuently lends his aid for the transaction of business affairs in the office 
of county treasurer. In the year 1895 ne became a candidate for that posi- 
tion and was elected, and on the 7th of September, 1896, was installed in 
that office, which he held for two consecutive terms. Upon his retirement, 
in 1900, his friends and associates presented him with a beautiful gold- 
headed cane, appropriately inscribed, as a testimonial of respect for him and 
in appreciation of the honesty and fidelity with which he had discharged the 
duties committed to his keeping. As the result of thirty years of continued 
and well directed effort in business affairs he is now the possessor of a com- 
fortable competence, a handsome residence in Bucyrus, together with a farm 
of one hundred and sixty acres in Liberty township and another of two 
hundred and four acres in ^"hetstone township, Crawford county. His 
land is very valuable and productive and therefore brings to him a good 
income. In his political views he has always been a Democrat of the Jef- 
fersonian type, and in his religious belief is connected with the German 
Reformed church. 

ARTHUR M. DUNCAN, M. D. 

In no department of professional life has such rapid advancement been 
made in the last quarter of a century as in the medical. Investigation has been 
carried forward and remarkable discoveries made so that the methods in vogue 
and the practices followed twenty-five years ago are hardly known to-day in 
the light of modern science and discovery. It is this which renders the work 
of the medical fraternity so effective and makes its work a boon to humanity. 
One of the most learned and capable physicians in Crawford county is Dr. Dun- 
can, of Bucyrus, who has attained a position of distinction in connection with 
his chosen life work and has thus set at naught the old proverb that a prophet 
is never without honor save in his own country, for the Doctor is a native of 
Crawford county and his fellow citizens have not been slow in acknowledging 
his worth and professional skill. 

He was born in Texas township, January 18, 1850, and traces his an- 
cestry back to the colonial epoch in the history of the country, and thence back 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 189 

to Scotland, to a period antedating the religions wars of the seventeenth cen- 
tury. The best information attainable seems to establish beyond reasonable 
doubt the fact that three Duncan brothers, coming from Scotland about 1722, 
settled in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and became the progenitors of 
the family in America. They were descendants of the Rev. William Duncan, 
a martyr in the Covenanter persecution in Scotland. Andrew Duncan, the 
grandfather of our subject, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, 
March 12, 1750, and died in 1828, in York county, that state. Under George 
III, he was appointed justice of the peace. When the colonies had achieved 
their independence from the British crown he was reappointed by the federal 
government and served in that capacity for more than half a century. He 
was of the Presbyterian church faith, and from 1770 to the time of his death he 
served as an elder of the Round Hill Presbyterian church, in York county, 
Pennsylvania. 

Washington Duncan, the father of the Doctor, was born in York county, 
Pennsylvania, in 1810, and when a young man left his native state, removing 
to Crawford county in 1833, with his mother and sister Ann Elizabeth, who 
afterward became the wife of Arthur Andrews, a prominent pioneer and 
citizen of Crawford county. The}' took up land from the government, the 
deed to their claim being signed by Andrew Jackson, and for many years Mr. 
Duncan followed agricultural pursuits in Crawford county. He married 
Eliza Gibson, a daughter of John Gibson and a sister of the late General Will- 
iam H. Gibson, of Tiffin, Ohio. Her father was born in Washington county, 
Pennsvlvania, in 1782, and in 182 1 removed to Seneca county, Ohio, his 
death occurring in that county, near Melmore, in 1854. His wife bore the 
maiden name of Jeanette Coe and was a daughter of Moses Coe, a soldier of 
the Revolutionary war and a descendant of Robert Coe, who was born in 
Suffolk, England, about the year 1590. With his family he sailed from 
Ipswich, England, in 1634, and finally settled in Jamaica, Xew York, so that 
the maternal ancestry of the Doctor can be traced back to a period equally re- 
mote with that of the paternal. His father died in Bucyrus. in 1888, and the 
mother in 1890. 

Arthur McDowell Duncan displays many of the sterling characteristics 
of his Scotch and English ancestry. He acquired his preliminary education in 
the common schools of the county and afterward attended normal schools in 
Republic and Fostoria. When he had completed his literary education he 
matriculated in the Columbus Medical College, where he remained as a student 



i9o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

for two years, after which he was graduated at Bellevue Hospital Medical 
College, of New York city, in the class of 1878. Having prepared for practice 
he opened an office in Albion, Michigan, where he remained for about two 
years and then spent two years in practice in the mining regions of Colorado. 
Jn 1885 ne located in Bucyrus, where he has since remained and in the per- 
formance of his professional duties he has displayed marked ability and a com- 
prehensive knowledge of the principles of the medical science. He has been 
a prominent and active member of local, state and national medical societies,, 
and has thereby broadened his knowledge and at the same time has added to 
the fund of information there disseminated, also from his own personal experi- 
ence, by contributing many valuable papers read before medical societies and 
published in medical journals. His advancement has been continuous through- 
out the years of his practice, for he has continued his studies at home as well 
as in college. He took a post-graduate course in the Polyclinic in Xew York 
city in 1880, and in 1892 spent some time in visiting the hospitals of Great 
Britain, giving special attention to the diseases of the eye, ear and throat. 
He has served as secretary and president of the Crawford County Medical 
Society, and president of the North-Central Ohio' Medical Society, has filled 
several minor positions in other medical societies and has served on the board 
of pension examiners. 

On the 9th of April, 1890, Dr. Duncan was united in marriage to Miss 
Adelaide H. Young, of Lisbon, Ohio. She died June 24, 1899, leaving three 
daughters, namely : Carol, Ethel Elizabeth and Lois Emma. She was the 
only daughter of Colonel G. 1. Young, who was military secretary to Gov- 
ernor Tod and served on the governor's staff during his term of office. After- 
ward he was fur four years in the war department at Washington and then 
returned to Lisbon, where lie became editor and proprietor of the "Buckeye 
State." He died suddenly, of lung hemorrhage, in the capitol at Columbus. 
January 2j, 1871, while rq^resenting Columbiana county in the state legisla- 
ture. He was the only son of Peter Young, whose father came from Holland 
to America and settled near Lisbon, Ohio, in 1807. 

Dr. Duncan is a member and elder of the First Presbyterian church of 
Bucyrus and was a commissioner from the Presbytery to the general assembly 
of the church in 1897. ^ e was a member of the board of health of Bucyrus 
for six years after its organization, but resigned to accept the position of 
health officer of the city. A year later he resigned, for the work interfered 
with the performance of his professional duties. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 191 

JOHN GEBHARDT. 

John Gebhardt, whose identification with the commercial interests in 
Bucyrus is not only of benefit to himself but of value to the community through 
the promotion of commercial activity, was born in Holmes township, Crawford 
county, on the old family homestead two miles north of Bucyrus, September 
16, 1859. As the name indicates, the family is of German lineage, and Adam 
Gebhardt, the father of our subject, was born in Baden, Germany, on the 15th 
of September, 1815. Emigrating- to the United States, he located in Craw- 
ford county, Ohio, in 1848, immediately after landing in this country. His 
wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Wittner, and to whom he 
was married in Germany, died only six months after their arrival in this 
country, leaving two children, viz : Eva, wife of Philip Whittmer, of Pauld- 
ing county, Ohio, and Elizabeth, deceased wife of Jacob Defenbacher. He 
subsequently wedded Susan Brand, also a native of Baden, this marriage being 
celebrated at Bloomville, Seneca county, Ohio, in 185 1. On the farm where he 
first located in Crawford county the father continued to reside until the time of 
his death, which occurred August 27, 1897. His widow is still living and re- 
sides with his daughter on the old home place two miles north of Bucyrus, 
The children of this marriage are: Catherine, wife of J. C Krauter ; Caro- 
line, wife of William Krauter, a brother of her sister's husband, and both are 
energetic business men of Crawford county ; Jacob, who resides in Ada, 
Hardin county. Ohio; Susan A., wife of A. Michaelis, who is engaged in sad- 
dlery and harness-making business in Bucyrus ; and John, of this review. 

In taking up the personal history of John Gebhardt, we present to our 
readers the life record of one who has a wide acquaintance in Crawford and ad- 
joining counties. The old home farm was the scene of his youthful labors 
and pleasures. He worked upon the farm through the summer months and 
at intervals attended school, obtaining a good English education. His time 
was thus passed until eighteen years of age. In 1891 he began auctioneering 
in connection with George McNeal. His first attempt at this business was 
made at a stock sale on the farm of Mr. Murphy, just west of Bucyrus. He 
is said to have become greatly frightened at the sound of his own voice as he 
began his duties there, but with resolute will he conquered his timidity, and, not 
dismayed by this beginning, he has persevered until he is to-day regarded as 
one of the best auctioneers in northern Ohio. In conducting this business he 
speaks both English and German. In 1892 he extended his field of labor by 
joining J. W. Snavely in the butchering business in Bucyrus. and this they con- 



192 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

tinned until 1898, when they sold their market to George Tuttle, but in May, 
1899, Mr. Gebhardt repurchased the business from Mr. Tuttle, and with his 
son, Cleo E., is now operating the market on North Sandusky street. 
They carry a large line of first-class meats, and their obliging manner 
and earnest desire to please their customers have secured to them a gratifying- 
patronage. 

In 1 88 1 Mr. Gebhardt was united in marriage to Miss Emma C. Vollrath, 
a daughter of F. A. and Caroline ( Ashbacher) Vollrath, of Bucyrus. Two 
children have been born unto them: Jeanette S., born November 20, 1882; 
and Cleo E., born May 24, 1886. The former is an accomplished young lady 
of eighteen years and the latter is a bright and enterprising youth of fourteen, 
who now ocupies the responsible position of bookkeeper and assistant manager 
in his father's extensive meat and provision house in Bucyrus. 

Mr. Gebhardt, of this review, has served in several positions of public 
trust. He was associated with the management of the Crawford County 
Agricultural Society and is now its president, having - served as director and 
vice-president. Throughout his entire life he has supported the principles of 
Democracy, doing everything in his power to advance the party's interests. 
At the Democratic primary election held in April, 1901, Mr. Gebhardt was 
nominated for sheriff of the county, the nomination being equivolent to an 
election, as the county is overwhelmingly Democratic. He is a member of the 
German Lutheran church. 

CHARLES B. SHUMAKER. 

Since 1865 Charles Baker Shumaker has been a resident of Galion and 
has long been accorded a position of prominence in connection with public 
affairs and as an honored representative of business interests. Many are his, 
individual characteristics that win for him the high regard of those with whom 
he is associated. He is a native of the Keystone state, his birth having oc- 
curred in Northumberland county. His father, John Shumaker, was born in 
Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, and is a son of John Shoemaker, Sr. The 
mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Catherine Baker, and she, too, 
was a native of Schuylkill county. The subject of this review was reared in 
Williamsport, Lycoming county, and acquired his education in the public 
schools and afterward engaged in clerking in a general store for several years. 
In 1865 he came to Galion, where he has since continuously made his home. 
For eight years he was employed in the railroad shops and in 1873 was elected 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 193 

constable for Polk township, serving for one term of four years, after which he 
was made justice of the peace. Through a long period he has been con- 
nected with the insurance and real-estate business, handling much valuable 
property and conducting man}' important real-estate transactions. He has 
a very comprehensive knowledge of the value of realty and is thus enabled to 
make judicious investments and to advise his clients so that they will 
purchase property that will bring to them a good return. His time has 
also been occupied by official duties, which have ever been discharged in 
a manner so as to win him the commendation and respect of all con- 
cerned. In the year 1878 he was elected justice of the peace and was again 
chosen to that office in 1881, 1883, 1886, 1889 and 1899. He filled the 
position for fifteen consecutive years and then after an interval was again 
elected, so that he is now serving his sixth term. He discharges his duties 
with the utmost impartiality and has "won golden opinions from all sorts of 
people." Law and order find in him a careful guardian, and no higher testi- 
monial of his efficiency could be given than the fact that he has been so long in 
office. He has also been honored with other official positions by his fellow 
townsmen, who recognize his worth and ability. In 1885-6 he filled the 
position of mayor, and in 1890 and 1891 was a member of the city council. 
In both capacities he exercised his prerogatives in support of ever}- measure 
calculated for the general good, and his labors were effective, beneficial and tar- 
reaching in their influence. 

On the 31st of December, 1857, Air. Shumaker was united in marriage to 
Miss Rachel A. Smith, a daughter of Asa and Letitia Smith and a native of 
Williams county, Ohio. Unto them have been born nine children, of whom 
four died in early life. The eldest, Alice, became the wife of Theodore 
Stewart, of Dayton, Ohio, and died January 28, 1891, at the age of forty-two 
years, leaving two children, Charles Theodore and Helen. Thomas M., the 
second of the family, pursued his education in the schools of Galion and entered 
the railroad service in the freight office of the Big Four road at this place. He 
has worked his way upward step by step, his close application, energy and 
ability winning him advancement through all the grades until he is now occupy- 
ing the very important and responsible position of traffic manager for the 
Union Pacific Railroad Company, having charge of the Oregon Short Line, 
with headquarters at Salt Lake City. He was for several years manager of 
the Continental Fruit Express Company. Clara, the third member of the 
family, is now the wife of George Stoltz, a resident farmer of Whetstone 
township. Sarah Emma is the wife of William Neff, of Polk township. 



194 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Wilbert A., who was graduated in the high school of Galion with the first 
honors of his class of eighteen, engaged in teaching school here for one year 
and then went to Chicago, where for several years he was in the employ of the 
Illinois Steel Company. He now ocnpies a splendid position with Armour 
& Company, as manager of the transportation department. Pie married Miss. 
Cunningham, of Salt Lake City. 

For thirty years Air. Shumaker has been a member of the church of 
Christ, with which all of his family are identified. In his political views he 
is a stalwart Democrat, believing that the principles of the party are best 
adapted to secure the welfare of the nation. For thirty-five vears he has been 
a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, has filled all of the chairs 
in the local lodge, for sixteen years was its treasurer and also belongs to the 
encampment. He has made good use of his opportunities, has prospered from 
year to year and has conducted all busines matters carefully and successfullv, 
displaying special aptitude for successful management. He has not per- 
mitted the accumulation of a competence to affect in any way his actions to- 
ward those less successful than he and always has a cheerful word and pleas- 
ant smile for those with whom he comes in contact. He is a splendid type of 
manhood, honorable and honored, and in the history of his native county he 
well deserves mention. 

WILLIAM L. ALEXANDER. 

On the roster of county officials in Crawford county appears the name 
of William Lewis Alexander, who is now serving as treasurer, having 
entered upon the duties of the office on the 3d of September, 1900, for a 
term of two years. He has long figured conspicuously in connection with 
public affairs, and his patriotic devotion to the general good is widely rec- 
ognized. Crestline is his place of residence, and in Richland county, Ohio, 
four miles east of Crestline, he was born October 14, 1865, his parents being 
Isaac Newton and Sophia ( Shifler) Alexander. On the paternal side he is 
of Scotch lineage. Several centuries ago, however, the ancestors removed 
from Scotland to the north of Ireland. His great-grandfather, Jacob Alex- 
ander, was born in Pennsylvania, in 1780. G. W. Alexander, the grand- 
father of our subject, is still living in Hocking county, Ohio, and has passed 
the eightieth milestone on life's journey. He was born in Hocking county 
September 1, 1819, and for many years was engaged in farming and school 




Ciyw^Jl^a^Jx^ 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 197 

teaching - . The grandmother was born in the same county as was her hus- 
band, the date being' October 4, 1815. 

Isaac X. Alexander, the father of our subject, was born in Pickaway 
county, Ohio, September 17. 1843, an( t ^ rom ms native county removed to 
Richland county, and thence, soon afterward, to Crestline. There he was 
in the service of tlje Pennsylvania Railroad Company for some nineteen 
years, being thus employed at the time of his death. He took quite an 
active interest in public affairs, was elected and served as a member of the 
city council, and was also a member of the city school board. In Richland 
county he was united in marriage with Miss Sophia Shifler, who was born 
in that county July 15, 1840. Her parents came from Pennsylvania to the 
Buckeye state and cast in their lot with the early settlers of Richland county. 
Mr. Alexander died at Crestline, Crawford county, April 10. 1889, in his 
forty-sixth year, but he is still survived by his widow. There is also another 
living son, Frank O. Alexander, who makes his home in Toledo, Ohio. 

In taking up the personal history of William L. Alexander we present 
to our readers the life record of a popular and prominent citizen, who is 
both widely and favorably known in Crawford county. He pursued his 
education in Crestline, in the public schools, and in 1882 entered the service 
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company as a telegraph operator at Crestline, 
occupying that position until 1894. His fitness for public duties and public 
honors has led to his selection for a number of positions of trust and respon- 
sibility. He abandoned the profession of telegraphy on account of being 
appointed by President Cleveland to the position of postmaster of Crest- 
line, in 1894, and seiwed in that capacity for four years. He was a mem- 
ber of the city council of Crestline for two terms, and for one term of three 
years served as a member of the school board, having been president of the 
board for one year. The cause of education found in him a warm friend, 
whose labors in its behalf were effective and beneficial. In 1899 ne was 
nominated for the office of county treasurer, and, having been elected, entered 
upon his duties on the 3d of September, 1900. He is a faithful custodian 
of the. public exchequer, prompt and reliable in the .discharge of the trusts 
reposed in him. He has long been a recognized leader in Democratic circles 
and served for three years on the county central Democratic committee of 
Crawford county. 

In 1 89 1 Mr. Alexander was united in marriage, in Toledo, Ohio, to 
Miss Carrie Evelyn Vineia, a daughter of F. PI. and Harriet (Johnson) 
Vineia, of French descent. Mrs. Alexander was born in Toledo, Ohio. 



198 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

They now have four children, namely : Egie Mina, Guy Stanley, Harriet 
Elsie and Dodge Vineia. The parents hold membership in the English 
Lutheran church, in which Mr. Alexander served as trustee for ten years. 
Prominent in the Masonic lodge of Crestline, he has served in all of its 
offices and is regarded as one of its exemplary representatives. He is also 
connected with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in Bucyrus. 
Mr. Alexander has passed his entire life in this portion of Ohio, and 
he has become widely known, his characteristics being such as to commend 
him to the confidence and regard of those with whom he has been associated. 
He is known as a man of sterling integrity, of strong convictions and fear- 
less in support of what he believes to be right. He has a large circle of 
friends, who have been won and are being retained by his mental ability, his 
attractive personality and his outspoken devotion to the best interests of 
the community. 

JOHN G. HERBOLD. 

John G. Herbold is engaged in the undertaking business in Gabon, having 
carried on operations along this line since 1885, but the establishment of which 
he is at the head has been numbered among the business interests of the city 
since 1862. Mr. Herbold is a native of Gabon. His father, Philip Herbold, 
was born in Baden, Germany, pursued his education in the schools of that 
country and about 1848 sought a home in the United States, first locating in 
Buffalo, Xew York. He afterward came to Ohio, taking up his abode in 
Gabon, and in 1862 he opened a furniture store and undertaking establish- 
ment, which are still carried on. He was proprietor of both departments for 
forty-nine years and then divided the business, his son assuming the manage- 
ment of the undertaking, while Mr. Herbold continued in charge of the furni- 
ture store. He carries a large and well selected stock of goods, and, though 
now eighty-one years of age, he daily gives his attention to business. Such a 
record should put to shame many men who, grown weary of the struggles and 
labors of business life, would relegate to others the burdens which they should 
bear. He is still hale and hearty and is an honored and valued representa- 
tive of the commercial interests of his adopted city. He married Frederica 
Feldnian, a native of Germany, who died in 1895, at the age of sixty-seven 
years. They were the parents of four sons, — John George, Gustavus, Philip 
PI. and Adam, all residents of Gabon. 

John George Herbold, whose name forms the caption of this review, was 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 199 

reared under the parental roof, and to the public school system of Galion he is 
indebted for the educational privileges which he enjoyed. After putting aside 
his text-books he entered his father's employment, becoming familiar with the 
business. He also attended the Oriental School of Embalming, at Boston, 
Sullivan's Embalming School, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Barnes Embalming 
School, of Chicago, while for a time he was associated as a student under Mr. 
Clark, of Cincinnati. He is one of the most efficient and capable embalmers 
in the entire state, and for his work in this direction is known throughout the 
northern part of Ohio, where his services are continually in demand. Fie was 
the first undertaker to introduce the ambulance and invalid coach in Crawford 
county, and has the only one in the county at the present time. He remained 
in business with his father until 1895, when he assumed charge of the under- 
taking department, of which he has since been sole proprietor. He has a 
liberal patronage, which is well deserved, and his labors bring' to him a good 
income. 

In 1895 occurred the marriage of Mr. Herbold and Miss Ester Burgener, 
of Galion, a daughter of John and Elizabeth Bergener, pioneer residents of 
this portion or the state and natives of Germany. Socially Mr. Herbold is 
connected with the Knights of Pythias lodge, of Galion, in which he is past 
chancellor. He also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is 
a representative of the Modern Woodmen of America. Although reared in 
the Reformed church, of which his people are members, he is now identified 
with the Presbyterian church. Having long resided in this city, he has a wide 
acquaintance among its residents, and in social circles as well as in business 
life he is highly esteemed. 

CAPTAIN C. H. MUEFFER. 

Captain Mueller is so well known in business and military circles that he 
needs no introduction to the readers of this volume. He has long been a 
conspicuous and honored factor in both walks of life and his history cannot 
fail to prove of interest. Fie is a young man of sterling worth, popular, genial 
and courteous, and wherever he is known he wins the friendship of those with 
whom he comes in contact. He was born in Carey, Ohio, in 1869, and is of 
German lineage, for his father, John Jacob Mueller, was a native of Hesse- 
Castle, in the province of Darmstadt, Germany, where he lived until fourteen 
years of age, and in that period acquired his education in accordance with the 
laws of his native land. He then came to America, and at the time of the 



200 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Civil war he manifested his loyalty to his adopted country by entering the 
Union arm}-, enlisting- in [862, among the boys in blue of Company K, Fifty- 
fifth Regiment of Ohio Volunteers. He joined the service at Upper San- 
dusky as a private, and with his command proceeded to the front. He ac- 
companied Sherman on his celebrated march to the sea. which showed that the 
strength of the Confederacy was exhausted. He took part in the battle of 
Lookout [Mountain, and was in the hotly contested engagements at Gettys- 
burg, Missionary Ridge, Reseca, Buzzards' Roost and other places where 
sanguinary engagements tested the courage and strength of both armies. 
When the war was over he received his honorable discharge and with a 
most creditable military record returned to his home. In 1876 he took up 
his abode in Gabon, where he is still living, and throughout the period of his 
residence here he has been a representative of the mercantile interests of 
the city. The prosperity of every community depends upon its commercial 
activity, and Mr. Mueller has been one who has taken an active part in ad- 
vancing business growth. He now retains pleasant relationship with his 
old army comrades through his membership with the Grand Army of the 
Republic. He married Elizabeth Wright, a native of Petersburg, Virginia, 
and a representative of a family prominent in connection with the Con- 
federacy. Mr. and Mrs. Mueller are members of the Reformed church of 
Gabon. 

Captain [Mueller, of this review, was a lad of only five summers when 
brought by his parents to this city, where he has continuously resided, en- 
joying the pleasures and advantages of school life, after which he put aside: 
his text-books to learn the more difficult lessons in the school of experience. 
He is now associated with his brother, George Franklin Mueller, under the 
firm name of Mueller Brothers, in conducting the largest merchant tailoring 
establishment in the city. They employ quite a large force of workmen, 
and their skill and ability in the line of their chosen calling- is such as to retain 
for them a large share of the public patronage. In fact their business sur- 
passes in volume and importance that of any other individual or firm in the 
Same (line in the city. They also have a large and well selected stock of 
goods to display to their patrons, and the work executed in their establishment 
is ever of high grade. 

The patriotic spirit which prompted the father's enlistment as a defender 
of the Union has been manifest in the son, who is well known in military 
circles. He has ever taken a great interest in military affairs, is fa- 
miliar with tactics and earlv learned that a soldier's first dutv was obedi- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 201 

ence. He commanded the High School Cadets in 1898. On the 12th 
of March, 1900, he joined the Eighth Ohio National Guard, as captain 
of Company L, a position which he still occupies. Skillful in maneuver and 
accurate in marksmanship, he has also been captain in the uniformed rank 
of the Junior Order in Gabon for one year. While Captain Mueller ever 
maintains discipline, he is also just and considerate of those who serve under 
him. and the most amicable relations exist between him and his troops. 

GEORGE W. DIDIE. 

George W. Didie is one of the native citizens of Bucyrus, his birth 
having occurred here April 21, 1848. He is also recognized as one of the 
important factors in political circles, and through many years has been con- 
tinued in office, a fact which indicates in an unmistakable manner his ability 
and fidelity to duty, for though men may win office sometimes through un- 
worthy means, when the}- are incapable of performing the duties the judg- 
ment of the American people is ux> accurate to permit of their continuance 
in positions of public trust. Through many years Mr. Didie has served 
his fellow townsmen in office, and his labors have been of value to the city, 
for his administration of public affairs is ever business-like and progressive. 
His father, Washington Didie, was a carpenter and builder and spent his 
last days in Bucyrus, passing away in 1882, at the age of sixty-seven vears. 
His wife bore the maiden name of Maria Layman and was a daughter of 
Christian and Mary (Botts) Layman, who came from Berks county, Penn- 
sylvania, to Ohio. The paternal grandfather of our subject was Isaac Didie, 
who resided in Cumberland count}'. Pennsylvania. His people were formerly 
from Philadelphia and originally from France. John Didie, the great-great- 
grandfather of our subject, came from France to the new world and with 
patriotic spirit aided the colonists in their struggle for independence. The 
maternal great-grandfather of our subject was a native of Holland, and his 
family resided upon* a farm which Major Andre made his headquarters during 
the Revolutionary war. 

Mr. Didie, of this review, pursued his education in the schools of Bu- 
cyrus, completing the high school course, and after putting aside his text- 
books entered upon his business career, being connected with several lines 
of trade, and for three terms he engaged in teaching school in Indiana, but 
since 1874 he has been almost continuously in public service, filling many 
positions of trust and responsibility. In the year mentioned he was elected' 



202 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

city clerk of Bucyrus and filled the position for six years, while for many 
years he was township clerk. He has also been deputy and county recorder 
and was deputy county auditor for nine years. He was a member of the 
Bucyrus city board of education for twelve years, ten years of which time he 
was clerk of the board. He has filled some of those positions contemporane- 
ously. Since 1897 he has been justice of the peace of Bucyrus township, and 
his decisions are strictly fair and impartial, for he displays neither fear nor 
favor in passing judgment upon the merits of a case, without regard to parties 
concerned. 

In Indiana Mr. Didie was united in marriage to Miss Amanda F. Wise, 
a daughter of Jacob and Maria (Didie) Wise. Two sons have been born 
of this marriage: Edgar Allen, whose birth occurred in 1876 and who is 
now employed in a retail grocery house; and Dallas Dio. There are also 
two daughters : Laura Delia and Dora Zelah. 

Mr. Didie is connected with the Order of the Knights of the Maccabees 
and is a gentleman of social prominence and popularity. He has a very large 
acquaintance throughout Crawford county and enjoys the warm friendship of 
a large number of those with whom he has come in contact. 

THOMAS C. WOODS. 

Thomas C. Woods, one of the pioneer railroad men living in Crestline, 
was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, November 30, 1833. The paternal 
grandfather, Henry Woods, was a soldier in the war of 181 2 and was of 
English descent. His father, David Woods, was also a native of the same 
locality and in his early manhood followed the Ohio river as a blacksmith and 
assistant engineer. He learned the blacksmith's trade in early life and was 
connected with that line of work in his native county, successfully carrying 
on the business on his own account until his death, which occurred in the 
fifty-ninth year of his age. In politics he was an old-line Whig and held a 
number of local offices in the county. He married Miss Margaret Evans, 
who was also- born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and was a daughter of 
Samuel Evans, whose birth occurred in Ireland, and who was thirty years 
of age when he came from that country to Pennsylvania. In early life he 
served as a pilot on a steamer on the Ohio river. His daughter, Mrs. Woods, 
died at the age of eighty-four) years. By her marriage she became the 
mother of seven children, four sons and three daughters, namely: Joseph, 
a manufacturer of wooden ware in Bedford, Pennsylvania ; Thomas C, of 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 203 

this review; Mary Ann, of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, who is the widow 
of John Evans, a native of England ; Alexander, who died when about ten 
years of age; Nancy Jane, wife of J. R. Parott, who has charge of the electric 
light plant at Bucyrus, Ohio; Carrie, who died in infancy; David H., who is 
an engineer on the Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Railroad and resides at Mat- 
toon, Illinois. 

Thomas C. Woods, whose name introduces this record, remained in his 
native county of Pennsylvania until nineteen years of age. Pie made his home 
with his father and attended school. On leaving the parental roof he entered 
the railroad service, driving a horse and cart at the time the grade was being 
made. He was afterward with the Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad Company, 
in Pennsvlvania, and later he obtained a position as a laborer on a work train 
used in hauling all kinds of materials necessary in the construction of the 
road. Mr. Woods served in that capacity until he was made fireman on a 
freight train, running from Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, to Alliance, Ohio. 
He acted as fireman for about four years, part of the time on a passenger 
train. During that period the new road had been completed to Crestline, 
Ohio, and Mr. Woods made some of the first trips to> this city. After four 
years as fireman he was promoted to the position of engineer and ran on both 
divisions, from Allegheny to' Alliance and from Alliance to Crestline. Since 
bis marriage he has spent much time on a switch engine, through choice, 
as it allowed him to spend more time at home than if he was on the road. He 
has seen all of the shops erected and all of the improvements made bere. 
He was a witness to the laying of the first railroad iron in the town and is 
the oldest man in the motive-power department west of Pittsburg in the 
employ of the company. Pie never was suspended from duty except once 
and that was for only six days, being occasioned by a very important acci- 
dent, backing into an engine. By consent of the railroad company, whom he 
has served so long and faithfully, he has been put on the retired list with a 
pension of forty dollars and thirty cents per month, and one thousand dollars 
payable to his beneficiaries at his death. 

On the 29th of July, 1857, Mr - Woods was united in marriage to Miss 
Mary Jane Moore, who was born near Columbiana, Ohio, June 29, 1832, 
and is a daughter of John C. and Mary ( Deldaback) Moore, natives of New 
Jersey and of French and Holland descent. Since 1859 Mr. and Mrs. Woods 
have resided in Crestline. They became the parents of four children : Ella, 
who died at the age of nine years; Dora, who died at the age of six years; 
Edward, who passed away at the age of four years ; and Delia B., who became 



204 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the wife of Charles E. Johnson and died October 5, 1897, leaving a son, 
Donald, who is now residing with his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Woods. 
Our subject is a Republican in his political affiliations, having voted that 
ticket since the organization of the party, previous to which time he was a 
Whig. He has a wide acquaintance in this portion of Ohio and is particularly 
well known in railroad circles. 

JAMES H. PERRINE. 

Among the conductors in the railway service now living in Crestline 
is James H. Perrine, who is numbered among Ohio's native citizens, his birth 
having occurred in Wyandot county, on the nth of July, 1844. His fa- 
ther, James Perrine, was a native of Pennsylvania, where he spent the period 
of his boyhood and youth. When a young man he took up his residence 
in Wyandot county, Ohio, where he followed farming and also bore his part 
in the work of development and progress, for he located there in pioneer 
days. He married Nancy Duddelson, a native of that county, where her 
parents had located when it was a frontier district, the Indians being far 
more numerous than the white settlers. Mr. Perrine lived to be about 
seventy-two years of age, and his wife died when seventy-six years of age. 
They were the parents of three children : William, who was a conductor 
and was killed in the yard of the Grand Rapids & Indianapolis Railroad in 
September, 1880; John was a soldier in the One Hundred and Twenty-third 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war ; James H. completes the family. 
The eldest brother, William, was also numbered among the boys in blue, serv- 
ing with the one-hundred-day men in an Ohio regiment. 

Taking up the personal history of James H. Perrine we present to our 
readers the life record of one who is widely and favorably known and whose 
many excellent qualities are worthy of emulation. Pie was reared in his 
native county upon the old homestead and upheld the family record for loyalty 
and patriotism by joining the Union forces when only eighteen years of age, 
becoming" a member of Company F, One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio 
Volunteer Infantry, in 1862. He served until the close of the war, partici- 
pating in many important engagements, including the battles of Winchester, 
Piedmont, Snicker's Gap and was detailed to act as nurse in the hospital, 
taking care of the wounded at Winchester, Virginia. This was in 1864. 
He also participated in the battle of Gettvsburg, Pennsylvania, and in many 
other engagements of importance, and though always found at the post of 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 205 

duty, even if it carried him into the thickest of the fight, he was never wounded.. 
In the winter of [865, when in front of Richmond, he was taken prisoner, be- 
ing- captured on the first of April, but on the 4th of the same month he was 
paroled and sent to Columbus, where he remained until mustered out on the 
14th of June, 1805. 

Air. Perrine then returned to his native county and in July of the same 
year entered the service of the Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad Company, 
now the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago Railroad Company. He was first 
engaged in hauling dirt and working on the grading of the road as a laborer. 
He afterward served on a construction train and then built fences for the 
company. Subsecpiently he was made brakeman in 1869, running between 
Crestline and Fort Wayne, Indiana, for eighteen months, after which he 
was promoted to conductor. In that capacity he ran between the two cities 
mentioned for about two and a half years, and was then transferred to the 
eastern division between Crestline and Alliance, where he served as brake- 
man for three and a half years. He was then again promoted to conductor, 
remaining upon that run for about eighteen years. On the 25th of April, 
1898, he fell from the train, while it was in motion, and his injuries incapaci- 
tated him for further duty for four months. At the time of the accident he 
was running through Allegheny, on the 6th of August, 1889, and the engine 
went through his caboose. His own train was moving verv slowlv when 
it was run into by a train in the rear, which was going at a speed of twenty- 
five miles per hour. Mr. Perrine was the only one in the caboose at the time. 
The car was completely demolished, nothing being left but the trucks, while 
his collar bone was broken and he suffered other serious injuries. Since that 
time he has run on many trains, but it is the earnest desire of his family that 
he should give up railroad service. He is one of the most reliable and highly 
respected men in the employ of the company, having served them for over 
thirty years. 

Air. Perrine was married in Wyandot county. Ohio, in May, [866, to 
Miss Ellen Dunlap, a native of that count}', where she was reared and edu- 
cated. Her parents were Samuel and Jane ( Steele) Dunlap. Her father 
was born in Scotland and died at the age of sixty-six years, and her mother 
passed away at the age of fifty-five years. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Perrine have 
been born three children, a son and two daughters: William, who is now a 
brakeman on the Pennsylvania Railroad and resides in Crestline: Bertha, 
wife of William Bennett, who is living in Indianapolis and by whom she has 
three children, — Maude, Donna and Milfred: and Maudie, wife of Charles 
1 1 



206 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Rice, of Cleveland. Both she and her husband are operators for the Western 
Union Telegraph Company. The son married Sophia Denner and they have 
two children, — Ella and Mabel, and also lost one child at the age of four 
years. 

Mr. Perrine is a member of the Order of Railway Conductors, and, as 
the result of his years of business activity he has become the possessor of a 
comfortable competence. He is now one of the stockholders of the First 
National Bank and holds government bonds. He also owns considerable 
valuable property, including a pleasant residence on Henry street. In politics 
he is a stanch and inflexible Republican, and his wife is a member of the 
Presbyterian church. They are honored and respected in Crestline, where they 
have resided for so many years and the hospitality of the best homes is ex- 
tended to them. 

REV. JOHN W. KUNTZ. 

The stamp designating true nobility of character must ever find its in- 
effaceable tracery on the brow of one who sets himself apart from ''the mad- 
ding crowd's ignoble strife" and dedicates his life to the uplifting" of his fellow 
men. A more than superficial investigation is demanded when one essays 
to determine the mental struggle and the spirit of unselfish devotion that must 
animate the man who gives all that he has and all that he hopes to be to 
service in the great vineyard of life, seeking reward only in that realm "where 
moth and rust do not corrupt and where thieves do not break through and 
steal.'' Preparations for and labors in the priesthood are perforce exacting, 
demanding an ever ready sympathy, a broad intellectuality and an unswerv- 
ing fidelity. Scorhng, cynicism and careless irreverence would often be 
silenced if only the inner life of those who minister in holy places might 
be laid open for inspection. Honor is due and honor will be paid when once 
there comes a deeper understanding of the truth. 

As the minister of the German Evangelical Lutheran church, known as 
the Goodhope Evangelical Lutheran church, John Waldo Kuntz is widely 
known. He began his pastoral work in Bucyrus on the 20th of May, 1897, 
and his labors have been attended with excellent results. He was born in 
Germany, in 1868, and with his parents came to America in 1880, the family 
locating in Loudonville, Ohio. The father is now a contractor and builder of 
Hutchinson, Kansas. 

The son began his education in Alsace-Lorraine, Germanv, and con- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 207 

tinuecl his studies in Loudonville, Ohio. He afterward matriculated in the 
Capital University, at Columbus, and then entered the Lutheran Seminar)- at 
St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was graduated in June, 1891. Being pre- 
pared for the work of the ministry, he began preaching the gospel in Balti- 
more, Maryland, as pastor of St. James church, where he remained until 
1893, when, owing to ill health, he had to take a smaller charge, where the 
labors and responsibilities were not so great. He is a most zealous and inde- 
fatigable worker and carries on his labors oftentimes at the expense of his 
own strength and health. While in Baltimore he was instrumental in erect- 
ing a new church there. On leaving the south he accepted the pastorate of 
the German Lutheran church at Jelloway, Knox county, Ohio, where he re- 
mained for four years, and on the 20th of May, 1897, he came to Bucvrus 
as pastor of the Goodhope Evangelical Lutheran church of this city. During 
the four years in which he has remained at this place the church debt of over 
three thousand dollars has been paid out and the church is now in a very 
flourishing condition. It has a membership of over seven hundred, the num- 
ber having been largely increased during the ministrations of Rev. Kuntz. 

In Jelloway, in 1895, Rev. Kuntz was united in marriage to Miss Ida 
C. Richert, who was born in that place and is a daughter of George J. Richert. 
Their marriage has been blessed with two children. Mrs. Kuntz is to her 
husband an able assistant in his Christian work. He is a man of broad sym- 
pathy, of marked personality and strong force of character, and his labors for 
the uplifting of his fellow men have been productive of great good. 

It will be interesting in this connection to note something of the history 
of the church of which he has charge. The Goodhope Evangelical Lutheran 
church was established in 1829 by the Rev. J. D. Schule, who acted as pastor 
for a time and was succeeded by the Rev. J. Steanch, who came to the church 
in December, 1832. The Rev. F. J. Ruth, an English speaking minister, was 
also employed, and he and the Rev. Steanch alternated their labors in the 
pulpit, the latter speaking in the German tongue, the former in the English 
language. In 1836 a house of worship was erected for both the German and 
English speaking worshipers. It was the first church with a steeple in the 
city of Bucyrus. The Rev. J. O. Ergens preached to the German portion 
of the congregation, and under his eloquent discourse and earnest labor the 
membership of the church grew rapidly. He was succeeded in 1839 by J. 
Krons, who was a member of the Ohio' synod, which still has control of 
the Goodhope church. In 1842 the German portion became a separate con- 
gregation and assumed its present name. On the 9th of December, 1843, they 



2o8 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

sold their share in the church to the English speaking people, and that division 
of the church has since been known as St. Paul's. The German congregation 
then occupied a hall until 1857, when the old church was erected. In 1855 
the Rev. Michaelis became pastor, and during his ministrations a house of 
worship was erected, work being begun on the 1st of April, 1857, and the 
corner stone laid on the 12th of August of that year. The house was erected 
at a cost of five thousand dollars. In 1807 the Rev. Michaelis was called 
away, and in October of that year the Rev. J. F. Graessle became pastor, 
acting in that capacity until 1880, during which time the congregation grew 
rapidly and man)- improvements were made. A fine pipe organ was built 
m the church and a parsonage was erected. From 1881 until 1887 the Rev. 
J. C. Eirich attended to the spiritual needs of the congregation as pastor of 
Goodhope church, and at the latter date was succeeded by W. F. Deiss, who 
died while filling the pulpit, in 1889, and was laid to rest in the cemetery in Bu- 
cyrus. He was succeeded by C. F. Gebhardt, who came to the church in 
September, 1890. During his pastorate the present house of worship was 
erected, at a cost of twenty-seven thousand dollars, and the old church is 
now used as an armory. The present structure is commodious and modern 
in every respect. Rev. Gebhardt died in 1897, and was succeeded by the 
Rev. John Waldo Kuntz, who was the first pastor to introduce the English 
language into the services. On each alternate Sunday at the evening services 
he speaks English, and once a month delivers a lecture to young people in 
the English tongue. Like many of his predecessors, his labors are proving 
of great benefit and value to the community, and the influence of the church is 
widely felt. 

MAT HEW L. CARMEAN. 

Mathew L. Carmean, a well-known citizen and extensive farmer and 
stock-raiser of Dallas township, was born on the 5th of March, 1846, in the 
township which is still his home, his parents being Mathew G. and Rachel 
(DeLong) Carmean. His father was a southern gentleman and came to 
(Ohio with his parents, who were pioneer settlers of Pickaway county, where 
Mathew G. Carmean spent the greater part of his youth. The family name 
is of French origin and the first representative of the family in America 
crossed the Atlantic from France at an early day in the history of this coun- 
try. After arriving at years of maturity Mathew G. Carmean was united in 
marriage, in Pickaway county, to Miss Rachel DeLong, who was born in 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 209 

New Jersey and was of Pennsylvania Dutch descent. They soon afterward 
came to Crawford county, where they began life in limited financial circum- 
stances. The father entered from the government eighty acres of land in 
what was then Bucyrus township, but not long afterward exchanged that 
land for a tract on section 11, Dallas township, whereon he took up his 
residence, making it his place of abode throughout his remaining days. He 
prospered in his undertakings and as his financial resources increased he 
made judicious investments in other property, until at the time of his demise 
his realty possessions aggregated twelve hundred acres. 

Unto Mathew G. and Rachel Carmean were born seven children, namely: 
Airs. Mary Ann Coulter, who is now a widow and resides in Toledo, Ohio; 
Martha E., deceased; Jonathan, a representative citizen of Crawford county; 
Elizabeth, who died in childhood; Nelson, who died at the age of sixteen 
years; and Mathew L., of this review. 

The last named was reared upon a farm and pursued his education in 
a. log school house. At the time of early spring planting he took his place in 
the fields and assisted in the cultivation of the crops until after the harvests 
were garnered in the late autumn. He has always resided in Crawford 
county and has always followed farming, remaining with his father unti'i 
the latter's death. He now owns a valuable farm of three hundred acres, 
all of which is under a high state of cultivation and yields excellent harvests 
for the care and labor bestowed upon it. Buildings and fences are kept in 
good repair and everything about the place is neat and thrifty, indicating the 
owner to be a man of progressive spirit, energy and perseverance. 

In 1876, January 6, Mr. Carmean was united in marriage to Miss Hannah 
Drollsbaugh, who was born in Juniata county, Pennsylvania. Her mother 
died during her early girlhood and when she was sixteen years of age she 
came to Crawford countv. where she had brothers and sisters living. The 
marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Carmean has been blessed with four living chil- 
dren : Maud G., Olivette, Ruth R. and Theodore M., all at home, and they 
lost one, Luther J., who died at the age of thirteen months. The wife and 
mother, a lady of sterling qualities, died in the fall of 1900, esteemed by all 
who knew her. 

In his political views Mr. Carmean is a Republican, who earnestly ad- 
vocates the principles of the party and never seeks official reward for his 
fidelity. Socially he is a Master Mason, belonging to Oliver Lodge, No. 447, 
F. & A. M.. and to the Order of the Eastern Star. He is likewise a member 
of Caledonia Lodge, No. 116. K. of P., and belongs to the Methodist Episco- 



210 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

pal church. The fraternal spirit of the one and the Christian principles of 
the other have largely shaped his course in life and made him an honored and 
respected man. 

HENRY A. RAUB. 

Henry A. Raub was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, November 16, 
1 83 1, and is a son of Henry and Hannah (Aultman) Raub. The father, a 
native of Pennsylvania, was born in 1801. Coming to this state he resided 
for some time in Columbiana county, but subsequently returned to Pennsyl- 
vania, where he remained for about five years. On the expiration of that 
period he took up his abode in Knox county, Ohio, where he remained for 
some time, owning and operating a farm there. At length he sold that 
property and purchased another farm in Marion county, but while preparing 
to remove to the new home he was taken ill and died in the year 1867. His 
widow, however, went to Marion county, where she spent her remaining days, 
passing away in 1871. 

No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of the farm 
life of Henry A. Raub in his youth. He pursued his education in the schools, 
of Knox county, Ohio, and in April, 1852, when twenty-one years of age, he 
came to Bucyrus. That summer he worked upon a farm and in the autumn 
entered school in this city, his leisure time outside of the school room being 
devoted to working for Andrew Failor, and during the succeeding year he 
was again employed as a farm hand and then once more came to Bucvrus, 
where he was employed in the store of Dr. Converse. Subsequently he se- 
cured a position in a sawmill in the fall of 1854 and served in that capacity 
for three years. He was employed as fireman in McLane's gristmill for one 
year and in a similar capacity in the hub and spoke factory owned by Jones 
& Company, in whose service he spent the year i860. On the expiration of 
that period he embarked in the milling business on his own account, under 
the firm name of Bowers & Raub, and at the end of the vear he was suc- 
ceeded by Mr. Nussbaum, but remained with the new firm in the position of 
fireman. Subsequently Mr. Bowers purchased his partner's interest and Mr. 
Raub continued as fireman until he rented the mill of Mr. Bowers and con- 
ducted it on his own account until Mr. Bowers sold the property to a stock 
company. Mr. Raub then again assumed the position of fireman for the 
stock company, and afterward the mill was leased by a Mr. Miller, who 
operated it for a time. Subsequently he leased the property and carried on 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 211 

the business for himself for about three years, when the mill was destroyed 
by fire. Not long afterward he opened a feed store in Bucyrus and has since 
carried on business along that line, enjoying a large and profitable trade. 

In January, 1855, Air. Raul) was united in marriage to Miss Sarah D. 
Howenstein, who was a daughter of John Howenstein. She died in 1872. 
Their children were: Mary L.. who was born in February, 1856. and died on 
her fifteenth birthday ; Lillian, Jay, Harry and Charles. 

Mr. Raub has led a busy, industrious and useful life and his fidelity to 
principle has ever been manifest in his honorable conduct, which has gained 
for him the confidence and good will of his fellow men. His first ] (resi- 
dential vote was cast for Franklin Pierce, then he voted for John C. Fre- 
mont, then Abraham Lincoln, and has since voted the Prohibition ticket. 

DANIEL KAXZLFITER. 

Daniel Kanzleiter is a well-known factor in the business circles of Bu- 
cyrus, where since 1885 he has been an active representative of real-estate in- 
terests, handling farm lands in Crawford and adjoining counties, town prop- 
erty and southern lands. In the latter connection he is land agent for the 
Mobile & Ohio Railroad Company, with which corporation he has thus been 
connected since 1895. Success has attended his efforts, for among his dom- 
inant qualities are numbered keen) discernment and sagacity, progressive 
methods and unfailing courtesy. He is thoroughly in touch with the modern 
business methods of the times, and his well directed efforts have gained for 
him a position among the prosperous residents of his native city. 

Mr. Kanzleiter was born in Bucyrus, June 21, 1843, his parents being- 
John and Ursula Catherine ( Koberlin) Kanzleiter. The father was a native 
of Switzerland and the mother was born in YVurtemberg, Germany. Leaving 
the land of the Alps Mr. Kanzleiter crossed the broad Atlantic in September, 
1837, and took up his abode in Bucyrus, where he resided for many years. 
Thus our subject became a native of this city and was here reared, pursuing 
his education in the public schools. In 1861 he entered the Journal printing 
office, where he was employed until May, 1864, when, at the age of twenty- 
one years, he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting as a member 
of Company E, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Ohio Infantry. After the 
war he returned to the printing business, which he followed until the fall of 
1868, when, on account of poor health, he was forced to abandon that line 
of business. He then conducted a depot and circulating library, containing 



212 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

two thousand volumes. Subsequently he was employed in the Forum office 
until March, 1885, when he embarked in the real-estate business, which he has 
since conducted with marked success. As a representative of the Mobile & 
Ohio Railroad Company he does a land business throughout Ohio. He has 
in charge much valuable real estate and has conducted many important real- 
estate transactions. His knowledge of land values is comprehensive and exact, 
and he is thus enabled to aid his clients in making judicious investments. 

In 1876 Mr. Kanzleiter was united in marriage to Miss Emma E. Mohler, 
a daughter of A. B. Mohler, of Dayton. Ohio, who was a wealthy dealer in 
broom corn and was known as a king on account of his extensive operations 
in that product. He employed several hundred workmen and carried on a 
business of mammoth proportions. His death occurred in 1883. His wife 
bore the maiden name of Isabella Young and was a resident of Cincinnati. 
In her girlhood Mrs. Kanzleiter was her father's able assistant in business, and 
in 1884 she began business as a representative of life, hre and accident insur- 
ance companies and as a loan agent. She has since conducted operations 
along those lines and is recognized as a lady of superior executive force, 
sound business judgment and marked enterprise. Both Mr. and Mrs, Kanz- 
leiter hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, with which he has 
been identified for forty years, while her membership relations with the church 
dates from 1876. In his political views Mr. Kanzleiter is a Republican, 
but the honors and emoluments of office have had no attraction for him, as 
he has preferred to devote his energies to his business affairs, in which he is 
now meeting with creditable success. 



ARISTA O. LUCAS, M. D. 

In taking up the history of the prominent men of Crawford county we 
note that Dr. Lucas occupies a leading position in their ranks. He is one 
of the most skillful, able and successful medical practitioners in this portion 
of the state, and his comprehensive knowledge of the science of medicine, 
combined with his accuracy in applying his knowledge to the needs of suf- 
fering humanity, has gained for him a very liberal and constantly increas- 
ing- patronage. His time is full}' occupied with his professional duties, and 
his brethren of the fraternity as well as the public acknowledge his emi- 
nence and express admiration for his worth. 

Dr. Lucas was born in Johnsville, Morrow county, Ohio, April 5, 1865, 





f * — / 



i^tz*^ 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 215 

and is a son of Adam, and Susan (McGill) Lucas. The father was born 
in Perry township. Morrow county, Ohio, February 22, 1838. The family 
is of German lineage and was founded in America by the great-grandfather 
of our subject, who was born in Germany, but came to this country at an 
early day. Adam Lucas, the grandfather of the Doctor, was a native of 
Pennsylvania and was reared in the Keystone state. His father was one 
of the well known distillers of Lancaster county, and there the grand- 
father learned the business, which he followed for some years. After the 
inauguration of the war of 18 12 he was drafted for service, but as he was 
then in charge of his father's business the later hired a substitute and Adam 
Lucas was therefore exempt from duty. In an early day in the development 
of Ohio he took up his abode in Morrow county, entering three hundred 
acres of land, whereon he built a log cabin. The following spring his wife 
and eldest child died, and he then returned to Pennsylvania, where he 
remained for about a year. On the expiration of that period he was again 
married, and once more took up his abode in his Ohio home, where he 
resided until seventy-five years of age. He then retired from active busi- 
ness life and removed to the town of Johnsville, where he spent his remaining 
days, passing away at the ripe old age of eighty-eight years. His wife, the 
grandmother of the Doctor, bore the maiden mine of Magdalene Emig, and 
was also a native of Pennsylvania. 

Adam Lucas, the Doctor's father, was reared on the old home farm 
and in the common schools acquired his education. He married Miss Susan 
McGill and then located in Johnsville, where for six or eight years he was 
employed as a teamster. Later he removed to Woodbury, where he engaged 
in the grocery business, conducting the enterprise for ten years or more, and 
during the greater part of the time he was also* postmaster of the town. 
Disposing- of his store, he was then employed for a number of vears in a 
general mercantile establishment, and in 1876 he removed to Johnsville. 
Soon afterward he became a "knight of the grip," going upon the road as 
a traveling salesman for a Mansfield (Ohio) boot and shoe house, with 
which he was associated for two years. He then established a retail boot 
and shoe store of his own in Johnsville and carried on business along that 
line until 1895, when he sold his store and removed to New Washington, 
since which time he has represented the Rochester Horticulturist and Florist 
firm. He is an energetic and wide-awake business man, reliable and trust- 
worthy. In his political views he is a Democrat, and in religious belief 
was a Baptist, but as there was no church of that denomination in New 



216 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Washington he has united with the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife 
was horn in Licking- county, Ohio, near Newark, in 1841, and died June 
6, 1865. About three years afterward he married Miss Molly Pittman, and 
unto them were horn two children, both of whom are now deceased, the 
children and the mother dying within a few weeks of typhoid fever. About 
1875 Mr. Lucas was married for the third time. Miss Charlotte Edwards 
becoming his wife. They had four children, of whom two survive, — Mamie, 
who is at home, and Wilbur, who is attending lectures in the Starling Medi- 
cal College, at Columbus, having previously read medicine under the direc- 
tion of the subject of this review. 

Dr. Lucas is the only child of his father's first marriage. He acquired 
his early education in the graded school of Johnsville. and at the age of 
nineteen he began teaching. He would follow that profession for one term 
and then attend school for a term, being a student in the Ohio Normal 
University at Ada. He taught altogether eight terms and thus made pos- 
sible his own education. In March, 1888, he began reading medicine under 
the direction of Dr. Eli Stofer, of Bellville, Ohio, and in September of the 
same year he entered the Western Reserve Medical College, of Cleveland, 
where, on the 4th of March, 1891, he was graduated, having completed the 
regular prescribed course. On the 28th of the same month he located at 
West Point, Morrow county, and began practice, continuing at that place 
until the 13th of July, 1892, when he came to New Washington, and to-day 
he is recognized as one of the leading physicians of Crawford county. He 
is a member of the Ohio State Medical Society and the American Medical 
Society, and through his connection with these organizations and through 
reading and study he has kept in close touch with the progress that is being 
made along professional lines. His career has been remarkably successful, 
and as he is yet a young man further advancement undoubtedly awaits him. 

While residing- at West Point Dr. Lucas was united in marriage, on 
the iotli of June, 1891, to Miss Verdie Hosier, a native of Johnsville, and 
a daughter of George R. Hosier, now deceased, but at that time one of 
the prominent merchants of West Point. The marriage of the Doctor and 
his wife has been blessed with two children: George A., born March 28, 
1892: and Charles H., born May 26, 1899. Sociallv the Doctor is connected 
with Hyperion Lodge, No. 561, K. of P., and with Rex Lodge, No. 229, 
Knights of the Maccabees. In his political views he is a Democrat, but the 
honors and emoluments of office have no attraction for him, as he prefers 
to devote his attention to his professional duties. Nature seems to have 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 217 

fitted him for this calling, and with strong mentality, keen discernment and 
close application he has won a position in the ranks of the medical fra- 
ternity which many an older practitioner might well envy. 

ALLEN G. SPRANKLE. 

Allen G. Sprankle, editor and proprietor of the Crestline Advocate, was 
born in Shanesville, Tuscarawas county, Ohio, in 1848, and received a liberal 
education in the common schools of that day. 

He is a son of Jacob F. and Harriet (Caskey) Sprankle. The paternal 
grandparents of our subject were Frederick and Elizabeth (Long) Sprankle, 
natives of Germany, and emigrated to this country in the latter part of the 
eighteenth century, locating at York, Pennsylvania, where they became valued 
residents throughout the remainder of their lives. Nine children were born 
to their union, viz.: Michael, Daniel, Jacob, Ludwig, George, Sarah, Polly, 
Lydia and Susan. It was in August, 1802, that their third son, Jacob, the 
father of our subject, was born. He spent his youth in York, and here 
also received his brief education. Early in life he learned the shoemaker's. 
trade and in 1825 emigrated west, locating at Canal Dover, where he resided 
for one year, and in 1826 he removed to Shanesville, where he followed his 
trade until 1832. when he opened a hotel, which he successfully conducted 
until 1867. At this date he discontinued his hotel and opened a grocery 
store, which he operated until within a few years of his death. 

In 1834 he married Miss Harriet Caskey, a daughter of Sheriff Caskey. 
an early sheriff of Stark county, Ohio, and their union was blessed with six 
children, viz.: Isabelle. deceased; Mary, wife of \\*. E. Lay ton, residing in 
Shanesville : John, deceased ; Ada ; Allen G. and Theresa. The three sisters, 
reside at the old homestead at Shanesville. The deaths of this aged couple 
occurred on the 15th day of December, 1898, and was of marked singularity 
and an unusual coincidence, being only twelve hours apart, the father dying 
at 5 o'clock a. m. and the mother at 5 o'clock p. m ! Death was only a matter 
of change in the form of the relation of the married life of this couple. Their 
spirits departed for the better world at about the same hour and their lifeless 
forms were laid to rest in the same grave. 

Allen G. Sprankle at an early age was apprenticed to learn the "art pre- 
servative" at Philadelphia, the county seat of his native county, and when 
he mastered his trade he secured a position in Cleveland, Ohio, where he 
remained for a short time. In 1S67 he went to Millersburg, this state, where 



2 iS CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

he resided until 1895. In the meantime he had abandoned his chosen occu- 
pation, for in 1872 he entered the mercantile business, successfully conduct- 
ing a store for about twelve years. During that period he received the appoint- 
ment of postmaster at Millersburg, under President Cleveland, and was then 
serving his first term. Air. Sprankle occupied the position for four years and 
his administration was prompt and reliable, giving satisfaction to all con- 
cerned. Before entering the mercantile business he was employed by a his- 
torical publishing company as one of three editors and for about eighteen 
months aided in writing the history of Venango county, Pennsylvania, also the 
Pan Handle of West Virginia, and Belmont and Jefferson counties, Ohio. 
A tier his retirement from the position of postmaster he sold his store in 
Millersburg, and was offered the position of associate editor of the Newark 
Daily Advocate, which he accepted. While acting in this capacity his family 
still continued to reside in Millersburg and in 1895 he purchased the Crestline 
Advocate and has since been its editor and proprietor. His experience in 
the journalistic field well qualifies him for the successful conduct of the paper 
of which he is now at the head, and he has made it one of the leading journals 
in this section of the state. It is devoted to a consideration of local and gen- 
eral domestic and foreign news and he treats in a fair and impartial manner the 
questions of public interest, at the same time giving editorial support to the 
principles of Democracy. 

While residing in Millersburg Mr. Sprankle was united in marriage to 
Miss Elizabeth Newton, the third daughter of G. F. Newton, who was a prom- 
inent resident of that place, having a state reputation as a horticulturist and 
pomologist. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Sprankle have been born two daughters : 
Virginia, wife of S. B. Klippelt, living in Birmingham, Alabama ; and Har- 
riet, who is assistant editor of the Advocate. The family is one of promi- 
nence in the community, enjoying the warm regard of many friends. 

ANDREW J. HAZLETT. 

In the field of political life and professional activity Andrew Jackson 
Hazlett has won distinction and to-day is numbered among the leading, in- 
fluential and honored residents of Bucyrus. A young man, he possesses the 
enterprising spirit of the west and has been a dominant factor in producing 
the wonderful development of this section of the country. Brooking no 
obstacles that honest effort can overcome, he has steadily worked his way 
upward until he has left the ranks of the many to stand among the sue- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 219, 

cessfnl few. He is widely known as a leading" journalist in this portion of 
Ohio and has also won public honors and recognition in the legislative halls 
of the state. 

Mr. Hazlett was born in Texas township, Crawford county, November 
8, 1865. and is a son of Robert Chamberlain and Elizabeth ( Walter ) Hazlett, 
and is descended from Revolutionary ancestry. The paternal grandparents 
of our subject were John and Nancy (Ury) Hazlett, who in 1829 came to 
Crawford county and purchased a farm in Texas township from a Mr. 
Roberts. He purchased and operated the first sawmill in that township and 
in connection with Mr. Bender he laid out the town of Benton, in Crawford 
county. He owned several hundred acres of land and was a very prominent 
and influential citizen, doing much to promote the progress and upbuilding 
of this section of the state. In 1848 he erected in Benton a hotel, which 
was the first building in the town, and was actively concerned in the im- 
provement of the place, which had a good growth in the early days. He 
also built the first brick residence in that section of the county. 

The maternal grandparents of our subject were Daniel and Susanna 
( Baum ) Walter, who came from Pennsylvania to Ohio, locating in what was 
then Sycamore township, Crawford count}', but is now in Wyandot count}-, 
on the present site of the village of Sycamore. The grandfather was a 
Dunkard preacher. Unto John and Nancy (Ury) Hazlett were born the 
following named : Ann, deceased wife of John Taylor, of Lafayette, Indi- 
ana ; Robert, the father of our subject; Elizabeth, deceased wife of E. I\ 
Kellog. of Todd township, Crawford county; John, who served as a justice of 
the peace in earlv days and was a prominent citizen; Alary Jane, the wile of 
B. F. Jaqueth, of Todd township; and William. 

Robert Chamberlain Hazlett, the father of our subject, was born in 
Washington county. Pennsylvania, in 1809. and was twenty years of age 
when he accompanied his parents to Crawford county. Here he became fa- 
miliar with all the experiences and trials which fall to the lot of the frontier 
settlers. He married Miss Elizabeth Walter. She and her twin sister were 
the first white children born in Sycamore township, and through this mar- 
riage two of the prominent pioneer families were united. Their children 
are: Mrs. Susan E. Wilcox, widow of P. P. Wilcox; Mason W\. who is liv- 
ing near Bucyrus, Ohio; W. H. and J. S., who are residents of Poplar; and 
Andrew J. 

Andrew Jackson Hazlett, whose name forms the caption of this review, 
pursued his preliminary education in the public schools, and at the age of 



220 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

seventeen he became a student in Fostoria Academy, where he pursued his 
studies for two years. In the meantime he had engaged in teaching to some 
extent, a profession which he followed through twelvej terms. Desiring, 
however, to gain more advanced knowledge he matriculated in Heidelberg 
University, at Tiffin, Ohio, and was graduated with the class of 1888. He 
was afterward superintendent of schools at Sulphur Springs, Crawford coun- 
ty, for two years, and during that period graded the schools and largely pro- 
moted the educational interests of the town. 

Mr. Hazlett began his newspaper career on the Daily Advertiser, at 
Tiffin, Ohio, and for a time was also engaged in newspaper work in Helena, 
Montana. Returning to his native county in 1891, he then purchased an 
interest in the Crawford County News, in connection with his brother, J. S. 
Hazlett. The paper was founded on the 14th of November, 1880, by Thomas 
P. Hopley, as a Prohibition organ, and when it passed intoi the possession 
of the Hazlett brothers, in October, 1891, it was changed to an independent 
paper. J. S. Hazlett disposed of his interest in the journal in 1892, to M. A. 
Charlton, and the new firm of Hazlett & Charlton equipped the plant with a 
large Cottrell press and gas engine, put in new body type and a good job 
plant. The paper was also changed from an independent to a Democratic 
journal and was issued semi-weekly. In 1895 Mr. Charlton disposed of his 
interest to H. B. Sears, who in turn sold it to L. M. Smith, the present business 
manager, in September, 1898. 

During all the changes the present editor, A. J. Hazlett, remained with 
the paper and saw it grow from a six-column folio weekly to a six-column 
quarto and semi-weekly. A curious fact connected with the changes in the 
ownership is that each of Mr. Hazlett's partners, upon leaving, disposed of 
his interest for double the amount he invested in the plant. During the past 
eight years the paper has constantly grown in circulation, patronage and in- 
fluence until it has outstripped all of its competitors and is now the official 
organ of the county, having practically all of the county patronage at full 
legal rates. During this time it has also added several thousand dollars' 
worth of material, has been compelled to move into larger quarters twice 
on account of increasing business, is out of debt and able to discount all 
of its bills. 

On the 10th of June, 1890, Mr. Hazlett was united in marriage to Miss 
Nellie Carpenter Baker, a college classmate, having been graduated in Heidel- 
berg College in 1888. She is a daughter of Edward and Nancy ( Carpenter) 
Baker, and her ancestors came from Massachusetts. Her father was a sea 



CENTEXNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 221 

captain, but at present is engaged in mercantile business. Unto Mr. and 
Mrs. Hazlett has been born a daughter, Edwina, whose birth occurred March 
ir, 1899. He is well known in fraternal organizations, belonging to Trinity 
Lodge, No. 556, F. & A. M., to the Tribe of Ben Hur, and to the Phi Kappa 
Psi, a college fraternity. He is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
church and has served on its board. 

In politics he is an ardent advocate of the Democracy and through the 
columns of his paper earnestly labors to promote the interests of his party. 
That he is a recognized leader in its ranks is indicated by the honors that 
have been conferred upon him. In 1896 he was nominated on that ticket for 
representative in the general assembly and served for two years, retiring from 
the office on the 1st of January, 1900. He had considerable influence in fram- 
ing the legislation of the state during that period and gave to each question 
that came up for settlement his careful consideration, thus manifesting his 
patriotic devotion to the welfare of those whom he represents. He is also 
state fish and game commissioner, having been appointed to the office by 
Governor Bushnell and afterward by Governor Nash. Pie is also city school 
examiner and is found as a champion of ever}- measure calculated' to benefit 
the community. 

Since the foregoing sketch of Mr. Hazlett was written there was or- 
ganized in October, 1901, a stock company, known as the Bucyrus Publish- 
ing Company, which company purchased and combined in one newspaper 
the Bucyrus News and Forum, and thereby Mr. Hazlett became discon- 
nected with the News, and at the present writing is in editorial charge of the 
Findlay Courier. 

G. WASHINGTON WILLIAMS. 

Among the residents of Crestline who are identified with the railroad 
service is Mr. Williams, who is an engineer on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne 
& Chicago Railroad. Numbered among Ohio's native sons, his life record 
began in Richland county on the 4th of August, 1843. His father, Joseph 
Williams, was also a native of Ohio and became one of the honored pioneers 
of Richland county, where his last days were spent. He married Rebecca 
Chew, who was born in Richland county, and there her demise also occurred. 
They were the parents of six children, but only three are now living. 

G. W. Williams pursued his education in his native county, attending 
the district school near his home, and after he had become old enough to 



222 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

handle the plow he assisted in the work of the fields, becoming familiar with 
every department of farm labor. His time was thus occupied until he at- 
tained the age of eighteen years, when, the country having become involved in 
Civil war, he donned the blue as a defender of the Union, enlisting on the toth 
of October, 1861, as a member of Company E, Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteers. 
The regiment was assigned to Sherman's brigade, and he served for three 
years, two months and nineteen days, during which time he participated in 
many hotly contested engagements, including the battles of Shiloh or Pitts- 
burg- Landing, Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary 
Ridge. I lis division, under command of General Thomas Wood, was the 
first to land on the top of the ridge. After the engagement at that place 
Air. Williams was with the pioneer corps until mustered out of the service 
in 1864. On many a field of battle he had displayed marked bravery and 
loyalty, and with a most creditable military record he returned to his home in 
Lucas, Richland county, Ohio. 

Not long afterward he assumed the position of brakeman on the Penn- 
sylvania Railroad, and was thus employed for three years, after which he 
worked for a short time in the machine shops in Crestline. He next became 
fireman on the same road, devoting his energies to that task for thirteen 
months, when he became hostler in the roundhouse. After fifteen months he 
was promoted to the position of engineer, on the 23d of March, 1883, and 
since that date has been a regular engineer on the road. His service in the 
employ of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad has continued 
through thirty-five years, during which time he has met with but one accident, 
and that of a very unimportant character. - Fidelity to duty, promptness and 
close application are qualities which are absolutely demanded by railroad a >r- 
porations on the part of their employes, and that Mr. Williams is lacking in 
none of these particulars is plainly indicated by the fact that through more 
than a third of a century he has been retained in the service of one company. 

On the 4th of June, 1866, was celebrated the marriage of our subject 
and Miss S. E. Travis, who was horn in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Her father was 
a native of this country, but her mother was born in England. Mr. and Mrs. 
Williams have become the parents of three children, of whom two are living, — 
Charles A. and Mrs. E. Moores. In his political affiliations Mr. Williams is a 
stanch Republican, giving an inflexible support to the principles of the party. 
Fie belongs to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, to the Knights of 
Pythias fraternity and to the Grand Army of the Republic. In an analyzation 
of his character it is not difficult to determine that tidelitv is one of his salient 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 223 

characteristics. It was manifest upon the held of battle, and has been con- 
tinuously shown forth in his business career. Although he has lived a quiet 
and uneventful life, his history is one which has ever commanded respect and 
confidence, and as one of the reliable and representative citizens of Crawford 
county he well deserves mention in this volume. 

JACOB SHERER. 

Jacob Sherer, one of the leading and successful farmers of Crawford" 
county, is a native son of the Buckeye state, his birth having occurred in. 
Whetstone township, Crawford county, on the 18th of January, 1835. He is- 
a son of Jacob and Christine (Gross) Sherer. The father was born in Wur- 
temberg, Germany, in 1792, and in 1805 came with his parents to America, 
locating in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, where Jacob Sherer grew to 
years of maturity and engaged in farming. In early life he also engaged in 
the manufacture of looms for weaving, and in later years worked at that occu- 
pation in connection with his agricultural pursuits. In 1833 he emigrated to 
Ohio, and after spending one winter in Richland county he came to Crawford 
countw locating on the farm now owned by a Mr. Kurtz in Whetstone town- 
ship. A few years later his parents joined him in this state and he pur- 
chased the farm adjoining the one on which our subject now resides on the 
north, where he spent his remaining days, passing away at the advanced age 
of eighty-five years. At the time of his death he owned five hundred and 
twenty-eight acres of land, and was accounted one of the prosperous and - 
representative citizens of the count}-. He made thirteen trips by wagon to. 
Pennsylvania, having assisted many families to remove to this state. 

Mr. Sherer was united in marriage with Christine Gross, also a native 
of Wurtemberg, Germany, born on the 5th of January, 1797. She came t< 
America in 1804, and her death occurred at the age of seventy-seven years. 
They became the parents of three children, two of whom still survive, and 
the sister of our subject, Catherine, is now the wife of Jacob Hurr, of Bucyrus, 
Ohio. Although not a member of any religious organization, Mr. Sherer 
was an active worker in the Pietist church, contributing liberally of his time 
and means to its support. He was a Democrat in his political affiliations, and 
both he and his estimable wife were numbered among the worthy and honored' 
citizens of their adopted county. 

Jacob Sherer, whose name introduces this review, enjoyed only the 

educational advantages afforded by the pioneer schools of his locality, but as 
12 



224 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the years have passed he has greatly augmented his knowledge by observation, 
reading and by practical experience. At the early age of twelve years he 
earned his first money working for a cattle buyer, and by saving his earnings 
he was soon enabled to purchase a calf, and later on, a colt. He was mar- 
ried at the age of twenty-five years, after which he located in a log cabin on 
his father's farm and was engaged with the latter in agricultural pursuits un- 
til 1870. when he and his brother Samuel took charge of the homestead farm. 
Some time later the father divided the land, giving each of the two sons a third 
interest and retaining the remainder for himself. Mr. Sherer is now the 
owner of two hundred and seventy-eight acres of the finest land to be found in 
Crawford county, and there he is engaged in general farming, his efforts be- 
ing attended with a high and well merited degree of success. 

As a companion on the journey of life our subject chose Miss Mary 
Hurr, a native of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania. She came to Ohio, where 
their marriage was celebrated. She was a daughter of George Hurr. Unto 
this union were born five children, all of whom still survive, namely : Eman- 
uel D., a resident of Bucyrus township, Crawford county; Sarah E., the wife 
of John Heverly, of Iowa; Emma C. and John \Y., at home; and Laura A., 
the wife of Isaac Kurtz, of Whetstone township. The wife and mother was 
called to the home beyond in 1875, and three years later Mr. Sherer was 
united in marriage with Miss Sarah Beal, a native of Crawford count}', and 
the daughter of Jonathan Beal. Two children have graced this union, — 
Bertha E. and Ruth M., both at home. Mr. Sherer exercises his right of 
franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democracy, and he served 
one term as trustee of his township. Both he and his wife are members of 
the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has held a number of prominent 
offices, and both are active workers in the cause of Christianity. The family 
is one of prominence in their community, and they enjoy the high regard 
and esteem of many friends and acquaintances. 



EMANUEL D. SHERER. 

Emanuel D. Sherer, son of Jacob Sherer, was born in Whetstone town- 
ship February 12, 1861, and was reared on the farm and given a common- 
school education. Until he was prepared to establish a home of his own he 
remained under the parental roof, but on June 2, 1885. he was married to 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 225 

Esther Stump, the estimable daughter of Isaac Stump, of Whetstone town- 
ship. To this union two daughters have been born, — Mattie and Elsie. 

Mr. Sherer is an enterprising and prospering farmer and stock-raiser of 
Bucyrus township, where he owns and operates a fine farm of eighty-five acres 
in section 24. Mr. Sherer has made many valuable improvements on this 
place, erecting a most comfortable frame dwelling and commodious barns, 
and so manages his interests that he is regarded by the community as one 
of its most desirable and efficient citizens. 



F. M. FOSTER. 

F. M. Foster, a conductor on the Pennsylvania Railroad, residing in 
Crestline, was born in Boone county, Kentucky, on the 2d of July, 1841. 
His father, James A. Foster, was a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and was 
there reared until sixteen years of age. The paternal grandfather of our 
subject was seven times married and the grandmother of our subject was his 
fourth wife. There were three children by this marriage, a daughter and two 
sons, one of whom was J. A. Foster. At the age of sixteen he left home and 
went to Kentucky, where for a time he followed any employment that he 
could get, which would yield him an honorable living. With two of his half- 
brothers he went to Springfield, Illinois, in an early day, but afterward re- 
turned to Kentucky. He married in Boone county, that state, ami then took 
up his abode there, making it his place of residence until about 1851, when 
he removed to Grant county, where he was engaged in farming. Earlier in 
life, however, he had been connected with steamboating as a mate on the 
Mississippi and Ohio rivers, running between Cincinnati, St. Louis. New 
Orleans and other cities. After devoting some time to farming in Grant 
county Mr. Foster went to Tipton county, Indiana, where he again carried 
on farming until his removal to Edgar county, Illinois, where he spent two 
years. On the expiration of that period he became a resident of Coles county, 
Illinois, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits and later he resided for 
some time in Montgomery county, Illinois. His wife bore the maiden name 
of Prudence Knight, and was born in Westmoreland county. Pennsylvania. 
She was of Scotch-Irish and German lineage, while her husband was of Irish 
and Scotch descent. Her father entered the army as a soldier in the Mexican 
war and was killed in the service, leaving to his widow a large family. Mrs. 
Knight was in her maidenhood a Miss Walker and belonged to the same 



226 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

family with James G. Blaine, now deceased. She was a woman of much 
more than ordinal"}' intelligence and displayed ability in rearing her family. 
Unto Air. and Airs. Foster have been born five sons, of whom F. M. is the 
eldest, the others being: Robert K., a resident of California; George, who 
is supposed to be in Texas; William, now in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; and 
Charles, who died in Grant county, Kentucky, when twenty-one months old, 
The father of this family passed away in East St. Lonis, in 1869. 

Mr. Foster, whose name introduces this review, was reared under the pa- 
rental roof and when twenty years of age started out in life on bis own ac- 
count. He had previously devoted his time and attention to assisting his father 
and in the acquirement of his education in the common schools, but a year 
prior to the time when he attained his majority he began railroading", on what 
was then the Indianapolis & St. Louis road, building bridges and culverts 
along the line. His next railroad service was in the employ of the Illinois 
Central, as brakeman on a passenger, the train running from Centralia to 
Cairo, Illinois, and subsequently he became a brakeman on the Ohio & 
Mississippi road, running on a freight train. He was with that company for 
about four years and during the latter part of the time acted as conductor. 
After severing his connection with the read be traveled over the country to a 
considerable extent, hoping to benefit bis health, which had become impaired. 
He found in travel and rest the help be needed and after a time went to Scott 
county, Iowa, where he spent about four years, engaged in farming. In 1872 
he came to Crestline and entered the service of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne 
& Chicago Railroad as brakeman, serving in that capacity until the nth ot 
October, 1873. when he was promoted to conductor. He has been constantly 
in that service through the past twenty : eight years, running most of the time 
on a freight train running between Crestline, Alliance and Allegheny. He is 
very reliable and painstaking, is courteous and obliging in manner and has won 
the warm regard of many of the patrons of the road. 

On the 20th of June. 1872, Air. Foster was united in marriage to Aliss 
Mary E. Wertz, a native of Ohio, born in Holmes county, and a daughter of 
George and Amanda (Myers) Wertz. She was reared and educated in the 
place of her nativity, and by her marriage has become the mother of one son, 
vet living, Ira J., who is engaged in the undertaking business in Crestline. 
Two sous have passed away. Benjamin having died at the age of seven 
months, while the eldest son, Charles H., died in his twenty-sixth year. He 
married Josephine Dunlap, of Freedom, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and they 
had one son, Marion PI., who is living with his mother in Pennsvlvania. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 227 

Charles F. was a telegraph operator and at the time of his death was acting 
as manager of the office at Conway, Pennsylvania. At the time of his de- 
mise the following memorial was prepared by the Masonic lodge, of which he 
was a member : 

"in memoriam. 

"Death, the impartial messenger of the Grand Master, has again en- 
tered our ranks. The name of another loved brother has been added to the 
long roll of our fraternal dead that have their final record in the reports of our 
committees Tn Memoriam.' 

"Brother Charles H. Foster, of Arcana Lodge. No. 2"j2, of Ohio, Free 
and Accepted Masons, died at Freedom, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. June 
5. 1899, A. L. 5899, at 6:00 p. m., in the twenty-sixth year of his age. 
Brother Charles H. Foster was born in Crestline, Crawford county, Ohio, Au- 
gust 2$. 1873, his father being Brother Frank Foster, of Arcana Lodge, Xo. 
272, Free and Accepted Masons. He was made a Mason in Arcana Lodge, 
No. 2/2, Free and Accepted Masons, August 12, 1897. 

"He was united marriage March 9, 1898, in Crestline, Ohio, to Miss 
Josephine Dunlap, of Freedom, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. Nearly the 
whole of his life he lived in our midst, with some of our young brothers as a 
schoolmate, in his youth and young manhood living in friendly intercourse 
with both old and young, and respected by all, for those native endowments 
that make a good citizen and brother. As a husband he was kind and af- 
fectionate, as only she can know and tell, into whose home entered so early 
in life, the dark-winged angel of death, and carried away the loved half of 
life, and left sorrow and almost despair in both heart and home. 

"As a grandson he also exemplifies his character as a son, by his love 
and considerate kindness for his aged grandmother, Mrs. Prudence Foster, 
by having his marriage solemnized at the home of his parents, that she might 
be the honored one among all the guests; but for this love and considerate 
kindness, her infirmities of age would have prevented her attendance at the 
ceremony and would have compelled her as though neglected to live alone by 
recollection in and with the past, for she had long passed the Psalmist s 
allotted time of three score years and ten, and for years she had not been able 
to participate in the affairs of the active present. But recalled from the 
memories of the past to be the honored guest at the most important event in 
her grandson's life, was evidence to her aged heart that she had not been for- 
gotten, and that she was not an unwelcome guest, that here was a grandson 
young and strong who would if necessary care for her. 



228 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

"Filial devotion like that manifested by our young brother that brings 
throbs of joy and confidence to the aged heart, bears the impress of a nobility 
of soul that God alone can bestow and that no outward adornment can typify, 
and is expressive of a feeling fine as pure gold and for his parents is the 
highest tribute to his worth as a son as well as a grandson. 

"As a brother he was devoted to the interests of Masonry: few of his 
brothers were more faithful in the discharge of their Masonic duties; worthily 
have warm tears bedewed his grave; worthily did out brother Masons of 
Rochester Lodge, Xo. 229, of Pennsylvania, drop into his grave in our stead 
the sprig of acacia, that Masonic emblem of sympathy, undying affection and 
immortality, and with the hope that we, and they, may meet our brother, 
Charles H. Foster, in the grander halls than those of earth. 

"Bowing with reverence to the mandate of the Grand Master of the uni- 
verse, that God whom all Masons must acknowledge, it is appropriate, it is a 
duty here to place our testimonial to the worth of our brother, Charles H. 
Foster, in life and to his memory in death upon the pages of our enduring 
record : 

"Therefore be it resolved that in the death of Brother Charles H. Foster, 
of Arcana Lodge, Xo. 272, of Ohio Free and Accepted Masons, the parents, 
our brother' Frank Foster and his wife, have lost a devoted son; the wife a 
kind and affectionate husband, Arcana Lodge, Xo. 272, Free and Accepted 
Masons, a just and upright brother. 

"Resolved, That these resolutions in memoriam of Brother Charles FL 
Foster be made a part of the record of this meeting. 

"Resolved , That a copy of these resolutions under seal of the lodge be 
presented to Brother Frank Foster and to Mrs. Josephine Foster. 

"Resolved, That Arcana Lodge, Xo. 272, of Free and Accepted Masons, 
tender to Rochester Lodge. Xo. 229, of Pennsylvania, Free and Accepted 
Masons, our Masonic thanks for their attention to Brother Charles H. Foster 
in his illness., and for the faithful discharge of the burial rites of the Masonic 
order at his grave. 

"Resolved, That we extend to his fellow operators the thanks of Arcana 
Lodge, Xo. 272, Free and Accepted Masons, for their kind words and floral 
testimonial to the memory of our deceased Brother, Charles H. Foster. 

"W. Stahle, 
"Thomas H. B. Clutter, 
"Charles Redeker, 

"Committee in Memoriam.'' 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 229 

For sixteen years Air. Foster has been identified with the Masonic fra- 
ternity, in which he has taken the degrees of the bine lodge and chapter in the 
branches at Crestline. For about twenty years he has been a member of the 
Order of Railway Conductors, and in politics he is a Republican in the ques- 
tions of state and national importance, but at local elections, where no national 
issue is before the people and the question is merely to select the must 
capable man to perform the business of the office, he votes independently. As 
a citizen he is public-spirited and progressive, taking a commendable interest 
in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community. For thirty vears 
he was connected with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and the record is 
certainly a creditable one, indicating his prompt fidelity to duty. 

GARRETT SHARROCK. 

Garrett Sharrock, a farmer of Bucyrus township, is a well-known citizen 
of Crawford county and is the eldest son of Joseph Sharrock, one of the 
pioneers of this county, of whom mention is made in the personal sketch of 
Charles A. Sharrock, elsewhere in this volume. 

Air. Sharrock was born in Morrow county. Ohio. September 17, 1845, 
and was reared on the farm and educated in the public schools of the county. 
His choice of a life pursuit resulted in his becoming a farmer and he has 
always remained on the old homestead in Bucyrus township. This is a very 
valuable tract of land, consisting of one hundred and twenty acres, and is 
crossed by the Sandusky river. Just south of his residence is a piece of 
bottom land, along the bank of the river, comprising several acres, which Air. 
Sharrock arranges to overflow with a dam, rendering it an artificial lake in 
the spring, and here wild ducks and geese gather and the sport of duck and 
geese shooting is brought almost to his door. This is very agreeable, as it is 
an amusement of which Air. Sharrock is very fond, being a good wing shot. 
Air. Sharrock is also very fond of other sports, particularly fox-hunting, 
and owns several valuable dogs for that purpose. His farm is a most hos- 
pitable place to visit during the season, and as Air. Sharrock is genial and 
entertaining, his home is often filled with guests. 

Two years subsequent to his mother's death Air. Sharrock married, and 
after that time his father made his home with him as long as he survived. 
Prior to her marriage Airs. Sharrock was Aliss Ida May Gahagan, a daugh- 
ter of John and Catherine ( Fagan ) Gahagan, pioneer settlers in Todd town- 
ship, but Airs. Sharrock was born in Benton, Ohio. One son has been born 



230 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

to our subject and wife, Leroy G., a popular young man, who is still at home 
with his parents. 

Although he has never sought any public office Mr. Sharrock has taken a 
deep interest in political matters, is an uncompromising Democrat and has 
considerable party influence in his neighborhood. 

FRAXKLTX ADA} IS. 

Since the year 1837 Franklin Adams has practiced law in Crawford 
county, and throughout this long period of time he has maintained a fore- 
most position in the legal fraternity, not alone on account of his ability as 
manifest before court or jury, but also on account of an irreproachable life 
and marked fidelity to duty. 

Mr. Adams was born at Alsted, Xew Hampshire, on the 16th of Novem- 
ber. 1S13. His parents were John and Susanna (Morse) Adams. His 
paternal grandfather, Nathan Adams, was a native of Massachusetts, and 
a colonial soldier in the American Revolution. In the annals of our country 
no name has figured more conspicuously and honorably than that of Adams, 
and our subject belongs to the distinguished family that has furnished two 
presidents of the United States, while the eloquence of a representative of 
the name inspired the Declaration of Independence. Maternallv our sub- 
ject is descended from another prominent Bay state family, that of Morse. 
His parents were born in Massachusetts : they lived in New Hampshire; in 
1820 removed to New York, thence to Michigan in 1836, and in the last 
named state both died. They had two sons and four daughters, and of 
the children our subject was the youngest but one. After attending the 
common schools in early boyhood he entered an academy at Middleburg, 
Wyoming county, New York, and later continued his academic course in 
Henrietta. Monroe count}'. New York. 

In the year 1834, being then twenty-one years of age, he made his way 
westward, believing that better opportunities were afforded young men in this 
new but rapidly developing portion of the country. Going to Ashland, Ohio, 
he made his home there for eighteen months. During that time he took 
up the study of law, under the direction of Silas Robbins, and later, going to 
Mansfield, Ohio, continued the study of law under James Purdy, of that 
city. At the July term of the supreme court of Ohio, held in Bucyrus in 
1836, Mr. Adams was admitted to the bar and also licensed to practice by 
.the district court of the United States, held in Columbus in 1839. At Mans- 




J/^^^tJC^^c ^^^e^£^ 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 233 

field Mr. Adams began the practice of law in association with Mr. Purdy, 
his preceptor, but on the 7th of August, 1837, he came to Bucyrus, and 
has since remained here, enjoying throughout the intervening years a large 
clientage. From 1838 to 1845 ne held the office of prosecuting attorney. 
This is the only office ever held by him. He has never sought political 
preferment. To the practice of the law his undivided time and attention has 
been given. In politics he has ever been a stanch Democrat. 

As a lawyer, his has been a general practice, covering the usual variety 
of litigated interests that make up the docket of nisi-prius courts in a country 
town. To chancery he has given special attention, especially to the admin- 
istration of estates. He accomplished much toward settlement of cases out- 
side of the courtroom. He has always advised compromises rather than 
settlement of difficulties in the courts. In early days it was not unusual for 
disputants to bring before him their respective grievances for arbitration, 
and thus he became in the best sense counsel for both parties, and in fact 
took the part of both counsel and judge. An amiable disposition, unques- 
tioned integrity, unfailing tact, insight into human nature and regard for 
equity as well as law enabled him to solve hundreds of difficulties and restore 
the relations of friendship and confidence between men who had become 
antagonistical over some point and were inclined to ruinous litigation. 
Always a student, always thorough, and ever exact, Mr. Adams has long held 
the reputation of being- a learned and able lawyer, accurate and exact in 
his pleadings, alert in trial, logical and convincing in argument. 

He began his professional career a poor young man, and besides gain- 
ing for himself an enviable reputation in the profession he has amassed a 
desirable competency. 

A I any years ago he became a member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, as a charter member of La Salle Lodge, of Bucyrus. 

JAMES M. GUNDER. 

In the death of James Madison Guilder, which occurred on the 17th 
of March, 1901, Crawford county lost one of its valued citizens — one who 
made the world better for his having lived. Although his life was quietly 
passed, he day by day faithfully performed the duties that came to him and in 
his consideration for others added much to the happiness of existence. Espe- 
cially was he tender and thoughtful of his family and to them his memory re- 
mains as a blessed benediction. 



234 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mr. Guilder was born in Marion county, Ohio, December 1 8, 1841, a 
son of Abraham and Magdalene (Young) Guilder. They were Pennsylvania 
Dutch people and removed from the Keystone state to Ohio, locating first in 
Marion county, whence they afterward went to Wyandot county. The father 
was a shoemaker by trade, but in this state devoted his energies to farming, 
and it was upon the homestead farm that James M. Guncler was reared. He 
was the seventh in order of birth in a family of nine children, and as the 
parents were in rather limited financial circumstances the children were early 
obliged to aid in their own support. He attended the country schools to a 
limited extent and in later years he read extensively. The knowledge thus 
gained, added to wide business experience, made him a well informed man, 
his naturally strong mentality enabling him to acquire a broad fund of in- 
formation. He was, too, a man of liberal ideas, who carefully considered 
every subject which came up for thought or settlement and his opinions were, 
therefore, never formed along narrow lines. 

At the age of fifteen he left his father's home although he aided in 
the support of the family until he had attained his majority and even after 
that made frequent remittances to his parents. He first worked as a farm 
hand and later began farming and stock-raising on his own account. He first 
operated on the shares, and prospered until he was able to buy eighty acres on 
section 24, Dallas township. There he settled soon after his marriage, and 
as he prospered in his undertakings he purchased additional tracts of land, the 
first being an adjoining forty acres. About 1889 he bought the forty acres 
upon which the family residence now stands and to which he then removed, 
making it his home until he was called to his final rest. Thus at the time of 
his death he was the owner of a valuable tract of land of one hundred and 
sixty acres, all of which, with the exception of about five or six acres, he 
placed under a high state of cultivation. The farm was well improved with 
good buildings and modern accessories and always indicated the careful super- 
vision of Mr. Guilder, who was neat and thrifty in his farm work and kept 
everything upon the place in excellent condition. He raised stock, including 
horses, cattle, sheep and hogs, and also bought and sold stock to a considerable 
extent. He was a typical farmer, energetic, progressive and capable, and 
although his health was somewhat impaired for several years prior to his 
death, he made his farm one of the most attractive and desirable in his part of 
the county. 

Mr. Guilder was twice married. He first wedded Miss Emma Harris, 
who lived for about six vears after their marriage and died, leaving two 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 235. 

children : Cyntha Luemma, who died of consumption when twenty-one years 
of age; and Blanche, who became the wife of Herbert Shafer, of Wyandot 
county, Ohio. In 1873 Mr. Guilder married Dora Kyle, whose birth oc- 
curred in Mahoning" county, Ohio, but who was reared mostly in Crawford 
county. Unto the second marriage four children were born : Sadie, the 
wife of Martin McBeth, of Wyandot county; James G., Pluma and Lela, at 
home, the son having the management of the farm. 

Mr. Guilder took quite an active interest in public affairs and in politics 
was a stanch Republican, doing all in his power to promote the growth and 
insure the success of his party. For eighteen years, although not for a con- 
secutive period, he served as township trustee, rendering most acceptable 
service. In other ways he capably served the public, being ever ready to aid 
in the adoption of all measures or assisting in the promotion of all movements 
calculated to prove of general good. For many years he was a member of 
the United Brethren church and was an active and consistent Christian. 
He held office in the church until within a few years of his death, when he 
resigned on account of his failing strength. He was a kind-hearted man and 
his domestic tastes led him to find his greatest happiness at his own fireside 
in) 'the midst of his family, to whom he left the rich heritage of an un- 
tarnished name. 

LORENZ SCHICK. 

Few men are more prominent or more widely known in the enterprising 
city of Crestline than Lorenz Schick. He has been an important factor in 
business circles and his popularity is well deserved, as in him are embraced 
the characteristics of an unbending integrity, unabating energy and industry 
that never flags. He is public-spirited and thoroughly interested in whatever' 
tends to promote the welfare, moral, intellectual and material, of Crestline. 

Mr. Schick was born in Baden, Germany, December 29, 1833, and there 
remained until nineteen years of age. He learned the trade of nail-making, 
entering upon an apprenticeship when a youth of sixteen years, and he has 
worked in the vineyards and nurseries of his native land. Believing, however, 
that he might better his financial condition in the new world where opportuni- 
ties were greater, he bade adieu to the fatherland, and in 1854 he sailed for 
America, landing in Xew York on the 15th of August of that year. He was 
a passenger on the French vessel Admiral, which lost two hundred and twenty- 
six of its passengers within ten days, the cholera breaking out among them. 



236 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

After forty-two days spent upon the broad Atlantic, the harbor of New York 
was reached and for two weeks they were in quarantine. 

Mr. Shick was the only one of the family who came to the United States, 
but was accompanied by four other young men, one of whom died in Phila- 
delphia. Another of the party, Air. Amelschek, resides in Defiance county, 
Ohio, and with the exception of our subject is the only survivor of the five. 
Mr. Schick made his way from Xew York city to Philadelphia and then to 
Wilmington, Delaware. In the vicinity of that city he worked as a farm 
hand and also engaged in buying and selling cattle. In 1856 he came to 
Ohio, first visiting Crawford county, after which he spent four months as a 
farm hand in Huron county. On the 20th of December, 1858, he started for 
California by way of the water route, going by way of Aspinwall and Panama 
to San Francisco, where he arrived February 2, 1859. For five months he 
was engaged in coasting along the coast shore of California and South 
America on two vessels, the Ocean Queen and Don Pedro, both being regular 
steamers in the coasting service. He did this for the benefit of his health, 
worked on the decks in order to pay his board and received no other compen- 
sation for his services. He remained for six years on the Pacific coast as a 
miner and in 1864 he went north as far as Vancouver land, on a coasting 
vessel. He also sailed through the gulf of Mexico and was in the gulf 
stream. Although his voyages were accomplished in all kinds of weather he 
can claim the novel experience of never having been seasick, although he was 
in many hard storms and gales. He was shipwrecked at Vancouver Island 
and the vessel on which he sailed was lost, but all on board were saved. He 
was also on the Golden Age when she broke her shaft in the Pacific ocean. 
They were then two and a half days from San Francisco, but it took seven days 
to return to the harbor. They went back with only one wheel and thus their 
progress was greatly retarded. He made the trip back from Aspinwall to 
New York city on the steamer Ocean Queen in six and a half days, the 
quickest trip ever made by the vessel. He then, in June, 1865, embarked for 
Germany to visit his old home, friends and relatives. 

In 1866 Mr. Schick again came to the United States and in the autumn 
of that year located in Richland county, Ohio, where he gave his attention to 
farming. In 1872 he came to Crestline and established a provision store, 
which he has since conducted, being very successful in that work. He carries 
a large and well selected stock of groceries and provisions and enjoys a large 
and constantly growing trade, which brings to him an excellent income, but 
his labors have bv no means been confined to one line. He is a man of 



CENTEXXIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 237 

resourceful business ability, is enterprising and energetic, and has been con- 
nected with various industries and business concerns that have proven of value 
to the community as well as a benefit to the stockholders. He is one of the 
directors of the Schill Furnace & Range Company, and is a stockholder in the 
Burch Plow Works. 

In Richland county, Ohio, in 1866 Mr. Schick was united in marriage 
to Miss Johanna Horning, a native of Germany, who was brought to this 
country when three years of age. They are now the parents of five children, 
two sons and three daughters : Emily, Ellis, Joseph, Charles and Minnie, all 
of whom are residents of Crestline. In his political affiliations Mr. Schick 
is a Democrat, having always supported the party since becoming an Amer- 
ican citizen. He takes an active interest in everything pertaining to the wel- 
fare of the county and has served as a member of the city council for one term. 
He withholds his support from no measure or movement which he believes 
will promote the general good, and he is a prominent member of the Catholic 
church. He is a man of broad capacity as his varied and extensive business 
interests indicate. He is at all times approachable and patiently listens to 
whatever others have to say, is courteous and at all times is true to the best 
interests of his friends. He cares not for notoriety nor is there about him the 
least shadow of muck modesty. His life has been a varied, interesting and 
eventful one. Starting out for himself at an early age without capital he has 
to-day gained a place among the affluent citizens of his adopted country, and 
moreover he enjoys the thorough respect, confidence and highest esteem of 
his business associates. 

SMITH C. CALDWELL. 

Throughout his entire life Smith C. Caldwell has resided in Crawford 
county and has always followed farming. His birth occurred in Bucyrus town- 
ship, March 17, 1856, his parents being Alexander J. and Harriet (Chambers) 
Caldwell. The Caldwell family is well known in this county and its representa- 
tives through many years have been prominent in connection with its agri- 
cultural interests and in promoting its progress and welfare along many lines. 
His grandparents, Samuel S. and Margaret E. (Mickle) Caldwell, emigrated 
to Ohio in 1835, taking up their abode in this locality. The former was born 
in Adams county, Pennsylvania, in May, 1804, and in the fall of 1835 he 
came with his family to Crawford county, settling on the plains south of 
Bucyrus. There he purchased two hundred acres of land and carried on agri- 



238 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

cultural pursuits until 1856, when he removed to Bucyrus. For many years 
he served as justice of the peace and notary public and in the former office 
he discharged his duties with marked impartiality, his dicisions being noted for 
their extreme fairness. In 1^44 he was elected to the legislature and faith- 
fully served his constituency in the forty-third general assembly, during which 
time he used his influence to have the county seat retained at Bucyrus. His 
wife survived him for many years and reached a very advanced age. 

Their son, Alexander J. Caldwell, the father of our subject, is one of the 
oldest and most favorably known citizens in Crawford count)-. He was born in 
Adams county, Pennsylvania, August 27, 1828, and remained in his parents' 
home until twenty-three years of age. His education was acquired in a log 
schoolhouse such as was common at that day and he experienced the usual 
hardships and trials of pioneer life. He was married May 25, 1853, to Miss 
Harriet Chambers, a daughter of Andrew and Isabella (Marshall) Chambers. 
She was born in Richland county, Ohio, July 14, 1830, and by her marriage 
became the mother of seven children : Thomas J., a farmer of Bucyrus town- 
ship, who married Mary Wentz, a daughter of John Wentz ; Smith C, of 
this review; Edward C, a farmer of Whetstone township; Mina B., who died 
in 1897, at the age of thirty-four years; Hattie; Mary; and Francis Marion, 
a farmer of Bucyrus township. 

The duties and labors of the home farm early became familiar to Smith C. 
Caldwell, who worked in the fields and meadows as occasion required, while 
in the winter months he attended the public schools of the neighborhood. He 
has always followed farming and when he began work on his own account he 
was well qualified for his duties by previous practical experience. He con- 
tinued his work in connection with his father until twenty-nine years of age, 
and for two years after his marriage he rented land, which he operated until 
1888, when he removed to his present farm of one hundred and ninety acres, 
on section 35, Bucyrus township. His fields are highly cultivated and 
yield a golden tribute in return for the care and labor bestowed upon them. 
In fact he has a model farm, complete in all particulars. He raises considerable 
stock, especially sheep and hogs, and also buys and sells large numbers of 
these animals each year. As he is an excellent judge of stock he is thus en- 
abled to make judicious investments from which he realizes a handsome profit. 
In 1895 he erected a neat frame residence and the following year a good 
barn. Fences, buildings, fields and stock all indicate his careful supervision and 
indicate him to be a progressive, enterprising agriculturist. 

In 1886 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Caldwell and Miss Harriet J. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 239 

Warner, a daughter of Robert K. Warner, and in the community they have 
many friends. In politics Mr. Caldwell is a Republican, and in religious be- 
lief he and his wife are Presbyterians, holding membership in the church 
of that denomination in Bucyrus. His business principles are commendable, 
his fidelity to duty unquestioned, and thereby he is accounted one of the repre- 
sentative and valued citizens of his native county. 

E. P. DAVIS. 

E. P. Davis is an important factor in the business circles of Crestline, 
being actively identified with the commercial interests of the city as a member 
of the firm of E. P. & L. R. Davis, dealers in dry goods. He is one of the 
native sons of the city, his birth having occurred here on the 22cl of January, 
1856. His father, James P. Davis, was horn in Columbiana county, Ohio, in 
1824, and came to Crawford county about 1830 with his parents. The grand- 
father, John Davis, settled on a farm near Dekalb and there resided until his 
death. Upon the old homestead there James P. Davis was reared between the 
ages of six and nineteen years. At the latter date he left home, and not desiring 
to make farming his life work he went to Shelby, Ohio, where he secured a 
clerkship in a store. Later he came to Crestline and entered the employ of the 
Big Four Railroad Company, being the first agent of that road in this place. 
He held the position for four years, covering the period of the Civil war. 
He was also employed by the state to manage affairs connected with the trans- 
portation of soldiers through Ohio. In 1863 he engaged in the dry goods 
business, which he continued until his death, in August, 1894. Throughout 
that long period he was actively associated with the mercantile interests of 
Crestline and won a high measure of success, his trade continually increas- 
ing as the people recognized his honorable business methods. In his politi- 
cal views he was a Republican, unswerving in his advocacy of the principles 
of the part}-. In early manhood he married Catherine Mickey, a native 
of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and came to< Richland county, Ohio, 
in her girlhood with her parents, the family locating upon a farm near Spring 
Mills, where Mrs. Davis was reared and educated. She survived her husband 
about one year, passing away in 1895. They became the parents of eight 
children, six of whom are now living, as follows : W. E., who is train 
master of the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago- Railroad Company, located 
at Fort Wayne, Indiana: E. P., of this review; George P., who is a yard con- 
ductor in the employ of the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago road; Lillie M., 



2 4 o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

wife of J. P. Vining, of Seabreeze, Florida, where he is engaged in the hotel 
business ; L. R., who is traveling salesman for a wholesale house and is also 
a partner in the dry goods business in Crestline; and G. A., who is acting as a 
traveling salesman for a Cleveland house. 

E. P. Davis, the second son of this family, was reared in Crestline until 
nineteen years of age and during that period acquired a good English edu- 
cation. He then went to Columbus, and was in the employ of the Big Four 
Railroad Company from 1876 until 1882, acting as clerk for four years, while 
for two years he was chief clerk in the general freight office. On the expira- 
tion of this period he removed to Chicago as an employe of the Trunk Line 
Association, occupying a clerical position, but later that association was 
merged into the Central Traffic Association, of which Mr. Davis became 
chief clerk in the statistical department when the new company was organ- 
ized. Subsequently he was transferred to the joint-rate inspection bureau 
and was traveling inspector for two years, from 1889 until 1891, traveling 
fmm the Missouri river to the Atlantic seaboard. He next entered the em- 
ploy of the Inter-state Commerce Commision as special agent, his duties being 
to look after the maintenance of railway rates; at this time he was elected 
in the United States attorney's office in Chicago, acting in that capacity 
for about a year. 

After long years of connection with the railway service, in which he 
von promotion from time to time with increasing salary as well as increasing 
duties and responsibilities, he at length determined to abandon that depart- 
ment of business activity and embark in merchandising on his own account. 
Accordingly he came to Crestline and entered into partnership with his 
brother, L. R. Davis, and opened a large and well appointed dry goods store. 
They carry a large and well selected stock of goods and their honorable busi- 
ness methods and courteous treatment of their patrons have secured to them 
a liberal and well merited patronage. In his political views Mr. Davis is a 
Republican. His advancement in business life has resulted entirely from merit 
and individual worth and as the result of his well directed efforts. He now 
has a handsome competence. 

ALBERT HAWORTH. 

The life of him whose name initiates this review represents a career 
which is interesting and instructive. Integrity, activity and energy have 
been the dominant elements, while superadded to these have been manifest 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 241 

those sterling attributes of character, integrity, fidelity, honor and kindliness 
which gain to a man the confidence and good will of his fellowmen. The 
unostentatious routine of private life, although of vast importance to the wel- 
fare of the community, has not figured to any great extent in the pages of his- 
tory, but the names of those men who have distinguished themselves by the 
possession of those qualities which contribute to the success of private life are 
most worthy of being held in high estimation. Mr. Haworth is a business 
man of the distinctive type — alert, broadminded and duly aggressive — is one 
who has a capacity for affairs of great breadth, a discriminating financier and a 
promoter of public good through the avenues of legitimate enterprises. His. 
prominence in political circles and his position as one of the honored repre- 
sentative citizens of Crawford county render most consonant this review of his 
life. 

A native of the world's metropolis — London, England — Albert Haworth 
was born March 22, 1848. and with his parents came to America when a 
small boy. the family locating in Providence, Rhode Island. At the time 
of the Civil war Benjamin Haworth, the father, enlisted in the Sixth [Massa- 
chusetts Volunteer Infantry and remained at the front until after the stars 
and stripes were planted in the southern confederacv. His regiment was 
the one that was mobbed in Baltimore while en route to Washington, a fact 
that aroused the country as nothing else had done and fired the loyalty of 
the north so that hundreds and thousands responded quickly to the presi- 
dent's call for aid. 

At the age of twelve years Albert Haworth became a resident of Cleve- 
land, Ohio, where he entered the service of L. G. Russell in the Depot Hotel as. 
office boy, and there he remained until 1865, when he came with Mr. Russell; 
to Crestline, where Air. Russell opened. the Continental Hotel. For many 
years Mr. Haworth was in the employ of Mr. Russell and rose steadily step 
by step through various positions until he became manager not only of the 
entire business interests of Air. Russell but of the firm of which the latter was 
a member. In this connection Air. Haworth had the control of the large 
business of the Continental and Gibson hotels of Crestline. At one time the 
firm owned the largest hotel interests in Ohio, Air. Haworth acting as mana- 
ger of the business. He was also superintendent of the dining car- of the 
Big Four Railroad Company, owned by L. G. Russell & Company. He also 
became owner of the Central Hotel of Crestline which he conducted until 
1897, when he retired and enjoyed one year's rest from the arduous duties 
of business life. A local publication said : "By reason of adverse circum 

13 



242 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

stances. Mr. Haworth had little opportunity to attend school, but by dint of 
hard work ever 'midnight oil' and private instructions, he has attained a 
thorough knowledge of the practical part of an education. Mr. Haworth has 
borne a leading" part in social, business and political events of Crestline. If 
there is one thing more conspicuous than another in his make up, it is that of 
tireless energy, and an unrest until the task given him is completed. This 
element of his nature has made him indispensable to his employers, and brought 
him a reputation for capacity and willingness that placed him in the fore- 
front of affairs." 

In the year 1871 Mr. Haworth was united in marriage to Miss Magdalena 
McCuthin, and they now have one son and one daughter. The former, 
William J., is a graduate of Kenyon College, and is now a draftsman residing 
in Cleveland, Ohio. The daughter, Effie A., is at home with her parents. Mr. 
Haworth is one of the most prominent representatives of the Knights of 
Pythias fraternity of Crestline, and also belongs to the Benevolent Protective 
Order of Elks and to- the Ohio Brigade, serving on the staff of General 
Thomas W. Minshull. In politics he has ever been a stanch Republican, un- 
swerving in his allegiance to the party and its principles. He has labored un- 
selfishly for the good of the republic without hope or desire of official re- 
ward, lint in 1898 there came to him in recognition of his ability and labor 
the appointment to the office of postmaster of Crestline, the appointment 
being made by President McKinley on the 22d of March, 1898, coming to 
Mr. Haworth on his fiftieth birthday. While conducting the hotel business 
he had many times performed some service in the line of his chosen vocation 
for the president. The Crestline postoffice has the cleanest record of any in 
the state since Mr. Haworth took charge, there having never been an error 
made by the head of the office or by one of its clerks. They dispense over 
one hundred and thirty thousand dollars in wages to railway and postal clerks 
and to others in the various departments of the business, and since our sub- 
ject assumed the duties of the office no mistake has ever been registered against 
him. He will undoubtedly be commended for the position during President 
McKinley's second term as he has the confidence and highest regard of the 
business men and general public. He is a very popular man owing to his un- 
failing courtesy, genial disposition and kindly temperament, combined with 
unquestioned honesty and fairness in all business transactions. He cer- 
tainly deserves great credit for what he has accomplished in life, which illus- 
trates the possibilities that lie before young men in the land of the free. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 243 

CHARLES A. SHARROCK. 

At the time when the colonists were engaged in a struggle for inde- 
pendence with the mother country, the Sharrock family was founded in 
America by the great-grandfather of him whose name introduces this re- 
view. He was a native of England and came to America as a British soldier, 
but becoming convinced of the justice of the cause of the colonists he deserted 
the English army and joined the American troops, whom he assisted until war 
was ended and the republic was established. He afterward took up his abode 
in New York, where he spent his remaining days. His son, Benjamin Shar- 
rock, the grandfather of our subject, was born in the Empire state and 
fought for the American cause in the second war with England. He had 
become one of the pioneer settlers of Guernsey county, Ohio, and from there 
entered the service for the war of 1812. After the cessation of hostilities he 
made the third settlement in Morrow county, Ohio, and there he operated a 
water-power gristmill for a number of years. He continued a resident of that 
county until called to his final rest. He met death in a tragic way. Robbers ef- 
fected an entrance into his house and not only took from him six thousand dol- 
lars, but also broke hlis back and he died soon afterward in great agony, when 
one hundred and four years of age. 

Joseph Woodward Sharrock, the father of our subject, was born in 
Guernsey county, Ohio, in 1814. when his father was engaged in the military 
services of his country in the second war with England. Amid the wild 
frontier scenes and environments the son was reared and after acquiring a 
good English education he devoted his attention to farming, which he made 
his life work. In 185 1 he came to Bucyrus township, Crawford county, where 
he made his home for more than forty years, his death here occurring on the 
26th of October, 1893, when he had reached the advanced age of eighty-nine 
years. He was a successful farmer and business man. ever worth}' of trust 
and confidence. In his habits he was very temperate and though he was not 
a church member, his life was in conformity to the basic principles of Chris- 
tianity, for he lived an honorable, upright life, never used profanity and was 
kind, considerate and just. His wife bore the maiden name of Mary Wood- 
side. She passed away eleven years prior to the death of her husband, being 
called to the home beyond at the age of sixty-five. They were the parents 
of six sons, but had no daughters. Of the family Gardner was accidentally 
shot when twenty-nine years of age, while the others. Garrett. Charles A.. Os- 
car K., Benjamin F. and James J., are still living. 



244 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

On the home farm Charles A. Sharrock was reared, and no event of 
special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for him. He 
remained with his parents until twenty-three years of age and then estahlished 
a home of his own. He wedded Mary A. Stineman in 1870, a daughter of 
William and Susan Stineman, of Crawford county, and their union has been 
blessed with two children : Alvertis D., who married Emma Mullenkopf ; and 
Minnie A., the wife of Tira E. Ditty. Both the son and son-in-law are farm- 
ers of Bucyrus township. 

After his marriage Mr. Sharrock began farming on the old Stineman 
homestead, where he remained until 1882, when he came to his present farm. 
Here he owns two hundred and forty acres of land and altogether he has 
about four hundred acres in Bucyrus township. Upon his place he has a 
fine barn, one hundred by forty feet, with thirty-foot posts and a basement. 
This was built in 1892 and in 1897 he built another good barn. In 1900 he 
erected his present palatial residence, which is built of brick, contains twelve 
rooms and is supplied with all modern conveniences and is very tastefully 
furnished. It is one of the most imposing country homes in the county and 
stands as a monument to the enterprise and industry of the owner. In 
politics Mr. Sharrock is a Democrat and in 1900 he served as land appraiser. 
Socially he is connected with the Knights of Honor. In 1876 he visited 
the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, and in 1893 the World's Columbian 
Exposition in Chicago, and at other times he has traveled quite extensively 
over the country, gaining that knowledge and culture which only travel can 
bring. He is a citizen of worth, highly esteemed by all who know him, and 
in this volume he well deserves representation. 

CAPTAIN J. G. BARNEY. 

Captain J. G. Barney, who is engaged in real estate and insurance busi- 
ness in Crestline, is a native of the Empire state, his birth having occurred 
there in Wayne count}-, on the 6th of October, 1833. His father, Moses 
Barney, was born in Herkimer county. New York, and was a son of William 
Barney, who served as a private soldier in the Revolutionary war. He also 
engaged in military service under General Sullivan, which resulted in the 
expulsion of the Indians from the Empire state. He was a brave and loyal 
soldier in both wars. The Barney family is of Welsh lineage and was found- 
ed in America by the great-grandfather of our subject, who, when a young" 
man, crossed the Atlantic to the new world and took up his abode in Vermont, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 245 

■whence the two sons removed to New York. The father of our subject was 
reared in the county of his nativity and followed the occupation of farming 
there until his removal to Wayne county, where he devoted his energies to the 
same pursuit. He served as a non-commissioned officer in the war of 181 2, 
and died April 10, 1838. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Matilda 
Powers, was a native of Herkimer county, Xew York, and in her girlhood re- 
moved to Wayne county. Her father, William Powers, was also a native of 
the Empire state, but was of Irish descent. Mrs. Barney was left a widow 
with five children, the eldest being then only fifteen years of age, and the 
youngest, the subject of this sketch, being a little lad of five and a half years. 
He remained with his mother until his marriage and was reared upon the old 
home farm. 

After his marriage Captain Barney took up his abode in Wayne county, 
New York, where he lived until 1859, when he came to Richland county, 
Ohio, and engaged in the produce business in Butler until 1864. In that year 
he responded to the country's call for aid, enlisting as a private in Company 
A, One Hundred and Eighty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which 
he was promoted to orderly, then to serg"eant major and later was made sec- 
ond lieutenant and first lieutenant. He was likewise commissioner of the 
Freedmen's Bureau, at Macon, Georgia, where he served until January 26, 
1866, having charge of refugees seized and abandoned land, freedmen's 
churches and schools. At that place he was in command of Company D, One 
Hundred and Thirty-seventh Regiment of the Ohio Volunteers. 

On receiving an honorable discharge Captain Barney returned to his 
home in Richland county, Ohio, where he remained until 1868, when he came 
to Crestline, where he engaged in merchandising, carrying on business with 
success until 1875, when he sold out and turned his attention to the real estate 
and insurance business. The latter line proved to him profitable and he has 
done a large and constantly growing business. In 1895 he extended his field 
of operations by becoming connected with the Building & Loan Association, 
of which he was secretary and agent. 

Captain Barney was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth L. Clemens, 
a native of New York, where their marriage was celebrated. They became 
the parents of one daughter, Emma E., who is now the wife of Dr. W. P. 
Bennett. Mrs. Barney is a graduate of the Normal school, of Albany, New 
York, and holds a life certificate as a teacher in that state. She followed 
the profession for some years in New York and through a considerable period 
was principal of the schools of Clyde, Wayne count}'. New York. A most 



246 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

worthy, cultured and refined lady, she presides in a most gracious and hos- 
pitable manner over their pleasant home and her influence in social circles has 
been marked and beneficial. The family is one of prominence in the com- 
munity and the hospitality of the best homes is extended to them. The Cap- 
tain is Aery prominent in military circles and he is now commander of Sny- 
der Post, No. 129, G. A. R., of Ohio, has taken an active part in its work and 
has filled all the offices in the order. He belongs to the Presbyterian church, 
with which he has been identified forty-five years, and is serving as one of its 
elders. In politics he is a stanch Republican, having supported the party since 
its organization. He served as postmaster in General Harrison's administra- 
tion, and while residing in Belleville he served for six years as justice of the 
peace and also filled the honorable position of mayor of that town. He has 
ever taken an active interest in public affairs, supporting all movements and 
measures which he believes to be for the general good. He was president of 
the Crestline board of education and was one of its members through a long- 
period. By reason of his connection with the Freedmen's Bureau he served 
as superintendent of the schools of Macon, Georgia, while at that place, suc- 
ceeding General Wild, of Maine, to the position. Captain Barney has led an 
active, useful and honorable life and whether in public office, upon the field 
of battle, in his place of business or in his home he has ever been found as a 
true, upright and honorable gentleman, worthy of the genuine regard of his fel- 
low men. 

JOSEPH H. BEARD. 

Joseph Hiram Beard, who is now living retired in Bucyrus, has for 
many years been identified with the movements and measures which have 
contributed to advancement along agricultural lines, and has ever been a 
citizen of value, taking an active interest in everything pertaining to the 
general good. He was born on a farm four miles east of Hagerstown, Mary- 
land, May 3, 1830, a son of John and Susan ( Sager) Beard. The ances- 
try of the family can be traced back to Nicholas Beard, the great-grand- 
father of our subject, who came from Germany to the new world and locat- 
ed in Maryland, near the present site of Beard's graveyard, in AYashington 
county. In the same locality stands a chapel, which is known as Beard's 
church. He had four sons, of whom Andrew, the eldest, had three chil- 
dren — George, Mary, the wife of Jacob Beachtel, and Margaret, the wife 
of Nicholas Beard. Philip Beard, the second son, became the grandfather 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 247 

of our subject. Nicholas, the third son, had three children. — Nicholas, 
George and Samuel ; Catherine, the wife of Andrew Noerr, of Washington. D. 
C. ; and Sarah, who married Samuel Rice. George Beard, the fourth son, 
had four children: George; Jacob; Mary, who became the wife of Andrew 
Steffy; and Laah, wife of Andrew Newcomber. The daughters of Nicho- 
las Beard, the original member of the family in America, were: Magdalene, 
who became Mrs. Mautzer; Margaret, who married Jacob Martin; and Eliza- 
beth, the wife of William Haus. The father of this family became a resi- 
dent of Baltimore when it was but a village in the colonial epoch of our 
country's history. 

Philip Beard, the grandfather of our subject, was born on the old family 
homestead in Maryland, where Joseph's birth occurred, and died there. He 
made farming his life work. He married a Miss Haus and had three chil- 
dren ; John; Magdalene, the wife of Joseph Fiery; and Elizabeth, who mar- 
ried Samuel Lyday. 

The first named was the father of our subject, and his birth occurred 
in the old family home where his son Joseph first opened his eves to the 
light of day. There he was reared to agricultural pursuits, and when he had 
attained his majority he married Susan Sager. Two of their children died 
in infancy, while the others were: Ellen, now deceased; Martha, who is 
living in North Baltimore, Ohio; Joseph H. ; Philip A., a resident of Bucy- 
rus township: John F., who is living in Tiffin, Ohio; and Amanda, deceased. 
In 1852 the parents left Maryland, removing to Seneca county, Ohio, their 
new home being near Tiffin, where they spent their remaining days. The 
father died in 1867, at the age of sixty-three years: and the mother passed 
away in 1897, when about ninety-three years of age. 

Upon a farm in Maryland Mr. Beard of this review spent his youth, 
and during that time acquired a limited common-school education. He re- 
mained at home until his marriage, which important event in his life occurred 
on Christmas of 1858, the lady of his choice being Miss Catherine A. Nus- 
baum, a daughter of David and Rebecca (Gedultig) Nusbaum, both of whom 
were natives of Frederick county, Maryland, and were of German descent. 
In 185 1 they removed to Seneca county, Ohio, and there the father died 
in 1875, at the age of seventy-two years, while the mother departed this life 
in 1 86 1, when nearly fifty-six years of age. 

After their marriage "Mr. and Airs. Beard began their domestic life upon 
a farm near Tiffin and there remained until the spring of 1865 when they 
came to Crawford county, and took up their abode on their present farm on 



248 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

section 10, Bucyrus township. Mr. Beard started out upon his business 
career empty handed, but by indomitable perseverance and unfaltering energy 
was enabled to gain a start and work his way upward. On coming to this 
county he purchased sixty-five acres of land and now owns two hundred acres. 
In 1873 he erected a good frame residence and has made other desirable 
and modern improvements which add to the value and attractive appearance 
of the place. There Mr. Beard carried on farming until 1901, when he re- 
tired to private life and removed to Bucyrus. For many years he has also 
been engaged in the insurance business. In 1875 he was one of the organi- 
zers of the Crawford County Mutual Insurance Company, and was its first 
adjuster of losses, filling that position for twenty-two years, since which 
time he has represented the company as agent. 

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Beard has been blessed with six children : 
Celia Viola, who married John Beckett, of Columbus; Delia Helen, who died 
in infancy; Joseph Lewis, who married Electa Denzer and is a farmer of 
Bucyrus township; Anna Delia and Ralph H., at home; and Mabel Gertrude, 
the wife of Fred Wise, of Bucyrus. 

In his political views Mr. Beard is a stalwart Republican, but had never 
aspired to office. He and his wife and family are members of St. Paul's 
English Lutheran church. He has done much to benefit the county, especially 
in agricultural circles. He is a member of the Grange and has been a pro- 
moter and supporter of the farmers' institutes of the county for more than 
twenty years, while for thirty-five years he has labored earnestly to advance 
the interests of the Agricultural Society, of which he has served as a director 
and vice-president. He is also a member of the Pioneer Association, and at all 
times has heartily co-operated in every movement which he believed would 
prove of general benefit. 

JAMES McKIXSTRY. 

James McKinstry is the oldest living resident of Bucyrus, for he has 
reached the ninetieth milestone on life's journey. His has been a useful 
and active career, in which there is much worthy of emulation and little to 
regret, and now in the evening of life he receives the veneration and respect 
of all who know him ; and while he has outlived the friends of his early 
manhood he yet has many warm friends and admirers among the younger 
generation. He was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, June 18, 
181 1, and is of Irish lineage and descended from good old Revolutionary 






uruiyf/i 




CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 251 

stock. His paternal grandfather, Nathaniel McKinstry, was a native of 
Ireland, and on coming to America located in Pennsylvania, dying in Frank- 
lin county at a good old age. He served his adopted country in the war of 
the Revolution, being most of the time engaged in the powder mills. His 
sun, John McKinstry, the father of our subject, was born in Belfast, county 
Antrim, Ireland, and when a little lad of three summers was brought by his 
parents to the new world, their first home being in Philadelphia, whence 
they afterward removed to Franklin county. He was there married to Miss 
Mary Patton. a native of Loudon, Franklin county, and a daughter of James 
Patton, who was born in South Carolina and served throughout the war for 
independence, being in the command of General Washington. He then 
served in the capacity of captain and did valiant service for the cause of 
liberty. He was of English origin, and his ancestors came to this country 
some time before the Revolution. The parents of our subject were mar- 
ried in Franklin county. Pennsylvania, and then located upon a farm there, 
but subsecjuently removed to Washington county, that state, and in 1833 came 
to Ohio, settling upon a farm in Marion county. Mr. McKinstry was a 
Jackson Democrat in early life, afterward became a Whig, and later was 
identified with the Republican party. He held membership in the Presby- 
terian church and took an active interest in its work. He died in Marion 
county, in his ninetieth year, and his wife passed away in the same locality 
in her sixty-seventh year. They were the parents of seven children, three 
sons and four daughters, of whom one died at the age of five years, while 
the others reached adult age. Only three are now living, namely : Thomas, 
of Pekin, Illinois, who is now more than eighty-seven years of age; Mrs. 
Rebecca Hayes, of Marion county, Ohio: and James. 

The last named was the oldest son and the third child of the family, 
and was twenty-two years of age when he accompanied his parents to Ohio. 
He had accpiired his education in an old log schoolhouse in his native county, 
where school was conducted on the subscription plan. He attended only 
through the winter season, while in the summer months he worked upon the 
farm. He also engaged in teaming, driving a five-horse team, in hauling 
goods from Wheeling to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania ; there were no railroads 
or canals in those days. After coming to Ohio' he assisted in clearing and 
improving the farm in Marion county through several years. He became 
a well known and influential citizen of the community, and in 1840 was the 
Whig candidate for sheriff, lacking only a few votes of winning the election. 

In 1842 Mr. McKinstry was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Gar- 



252 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

berson, a native of Mount Vernon, Ohio, and of German lineage. Colonel 
Crawford, who was burned at the stake, was her great uncle. After their 
marriage Mr. and Mrs McKinstry located upon a farm in Marion county, 
where he carried on agricultural pursuits and stock-raising. He made a 
specialty of sheep, keeping on hand about a thousand head. During the 
last two vears of the war he also had about four thousand sheep in Illinois. 
He owned six hundred acres of land, constituting one of the largest farms 
in Marion county. In 1863 he rented his property and came to Bucyrus, 
purchasing the residence in which he still lives. About 1871 he sold his 
farm in Marion county and was afterward engaged in various lines of busi- 
ness. He conducted a grocery store and was quite extensively engaged in 
the purchase and sale of horses, buying them in Canada and shipping them 
to Ohio. At length, after a long- and useful business career, in which he 
won a handsome competence, he retired to private life, and is now living in 
the enjoyment of the fruits of his former labor. 

The home of Mr. and Mrs. McKinstry was blessed with ten children, 
namely: One who died in infancy; John Calvin, who died at the age of 
six years; William Thomas, a farmer of Bucyrus township; Mary E., who 
is the widow of John R. Miller, who resides with her father; Ann Maria, 
deceased ; Frances Marion, who has passed away ; Amanda, the wife of 
Theodore Shotwell, of Detroit. Michigan; James Briggs, deceased; Mathew, 
of Kansas City; and Joseph, who also has passed away. In 1890 Mr. 
McKinstry was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died at the 
age of sixty-eight years. He cast his hrst presidential vote for Andrew 
Jackson in 1832, supported Henry Clay in 1836 and in 1840 voted for Will- 
iam Henry Harrison, being an advocate of the Whig party until the organ- 
ization of the Republican party, when he joined its ranks, becoming one of 
its stalwart supporters. He has also held various church offices. He aided 
in the organization of the church at Caledonia and was one of the building 
committee having charge of the erection of the house of worship. He also 
assisted in the repairing of the Bucyrus church, and he has contributed 
liberally to the support of Christian work, doing all in his power to advance 
the cause among his fellow men. He also has a military record, for in 1839 
and 1840 he was first lieutenant of a cavalry company of Marion county. 
When he resigned he was succeeded by a Mr. Shaw, who was promoted 
to the rank of colonel and was killed at the battle of A\ nichester. The 
company was the only one of the kind in Marion county, and only two of 
its members are vet living — lames Kerr, of Marion county, and Mr. Mc- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 253 

Kinstry. The life record of our subject forms the connecting link between 
the primitive past of Ohio and the progressive present. He has been identi- 
fied with the progress and development of the state for almost three-score 
years, and now in the evening of life he has the friendship and veneration 
which he so richly merits. 



JOHX R. MILLER. 

John R. Miller, deceased, Mas born in London clary, England, Novem- 
ber 13, 1839, and when a boy of five years was brought to America by his 
parents, Joseph and Sarah (Henry) Miller, who- settled in Stratford, Can- 
ada, where their son grew to manhood and was educated. When about 
thirty years of age he came to the United States. He first located in Attica, 
Seneca county, Ohio, where he followed his trade, that of carpenter. In the 
year 1874 he married Mary E., the daughter of James McKinstry, whose 
sketch is just given. He became a permanent citizen of Bucyrus about 
1876, and followed his trade here at first, but at the time of his death he 
was engaged in the sawmill business. His death occurred August 27, 1884,. 
being killed by a bull he was leading in the barn-yard of his father-in-law, 
the bull goring him to death ! LInto his marriage were born four children, 
viz. : Carrie Gertrude, James William, Sarah and John Robert. He fol- 
lowed contracting and building with success for several years in Bucyrus, 
and was a well respected citizen of the place. 

DAX BABST, Jr., 

The ancestors of Dan Babst, Jr., came from Alsace-Lorraine, a province 
of France, known in history from the time of Henry I, of German}* ( Der 
Bogler, 876-936). By the treaty of Ryswick, in 1697, Strasburg and the terri- 
tory surrounding it in Alsace were indefinitely ceded to France. This was 
during the reign of Louis XIV, of France, who on his deathbed made the 
confession: "I loved war too much." He had loved it madly and exclusively, 
but this fatal passion which had corrupted and ruined France did not remain 
fruitless. To all people within the bounds of civilization inured the benefits 
of the enormous crimes of the repeal of the Edict of Nantes and the fusilade 
of 1792. From these crimes against humanity arose those emigrations 
which brought father Daniel Babst, and the Yost family, as also many other 



254 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

thousands of the truest and bravest children of France to the United States. 
In this later period. 1832. Daniel Babst and the Yost family crossed the 
Atlantic to the new world. The former remained in New York for two 
years and then in 1834 removed to Kindel Stark county, and later to Canal 
Fulton in the same count}', where he became acquainted with Miss Margaret 
Yost, also from the German-French Rhine, and the}- were married May 10, 
1S41. In Alsatia the families Babst and Yost had enjoyed special note and 
they lost nothing of this characteristic by emigration. 

Dan Babst, Jr., the subject of this sketch, was born in Canal Fulton, 
Tuesday, October 19, 1847. ^ n 1 ^5 2 tne family removed to Crestline, Craw- 
ford county, Ohio. Here the son passed his youth and in the public schools 
of that day received his primary education. From 1864 until 1867 he was 
a student in Oberlin, Ohio. He then left college and began the study of 
law under the instruction of Nathan Jones, Esquire, of Crestline, Ohio. He 
pursued his chosen line of work until 1872 when after examination he 
received his diploma admitting him to practice and from that time to the 
present, with the exception of one year, he has been engaged in the general 
practice of law. As city solicitor he served from 1877 until 1879 and then 
resigned to accept the appointment as mayor of the city, tendered him by the 
common council. From 1878 until 1885 he occupied the position of chief 
executive of the city. In 1884 he was the candidate on the Republican ticket 
to congress, really scoring a victory against his opponent, who won but by a 
majority so greatly decreased that victory was only a name to cover defeat, and 
this is the thirteenth congressional district, which is one of the Democratic 
strongholds of Ohio. 

But public business or political honors, however attractive thev may have 
seemed to him, have never seriouslv won Mr. Babst's attention from his chosen 
profession. This under all circumstances and all temptations has claimed his 
most serious thought and most earnest efforts. As a citizen Mr. Babst has 
always taken a personal and active part in the local affairs of his home city 
and county. His vigor and sound judgment have been specially felt in the 
educational work of the city. He served for ten years on the school board 
and on the board of examiners of the city of Crestline, thus devoting to this 
most important of public interests the benefit of his professional acquirement 
and his careful literary training. In county affairs he has constantly and 
fearlesslv supported such men and measures as tend to promote public wel- 
fare. In all enterprises of a public nature he has always taken a prominent 
part. He was largely interested in the fine system of public roads surrounding 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 255 

Crestline, and for this and more, which it is needless to mention, Crestline 
is a large debtor to Dan Babst, Jr. 

His education is liberal and broad, based upon the old-fashioned college 
plan. When he laid down the text-books of the college course to take up those 
that belonged to his profession, it was not to neglect them, as is at present so 
often the case. His happiest hours are now, and doubtless always have been, 
those spent in the restful quiet of his large and valuable literary library 
— "swapping thought with the Good and Great of all Time" on even terms. 
His political opinions, as must be the case with every honest man, are based 
upon his convictions of right, partake of and are permeated through and 
through by the loyal fiber of his character. Associating on terms of friendly 
intercourse with the leading state and national politicians of his party, and 
when state and national politics attract public attention, campaigning with 
them, he has never been swayed from his sense of right, nor lost his native 
independence of character. In address Mr. Babst is frank, fearless and manly ; 
in manner, plain, systematic and practical; in argument, cogent and convinc- 
ing; in matter, safe, solid and substantial; his aim being always to convince 
men's minds rather than to rouse their passions or excite their prejudice. As 
a debater he is ready with his material, exact and accurate in his statement. 
On questions of law he is clear, discriminating and forcible, and what few 
possess, he has in a singular degree, — the power of condensation and separa- 
tion of facts and their application to principle. For many years Mr. Babst 
was a member of the Republican state executive committee and has usually 
represented his party in the various state conventions. In 1887 he was a 
candidate before the Republican state convention for attorney general. In 
1896, chiefly because of the money question, he withdrew from the Republican 
party and has since actively identified himself with the Democratic cause. 

Air. Babst was one of the counsel for the regular Masonic lodge in its 
prolonged litigations through all the courts with the Cerneau bodies, in which 
the regular Masons were successful. He is a Freemason himself and there- 
fore, perhaps, felt more vitally interested in the result of the litigation. He 
is past commander of Mansfield Commander}-. K. T., and is a member of 
Alkoran Temple of the Mystic Shrine. His views of religion are broad and 
libera] and he is a generous contributor to all church and charitable work. Mr. 
Babst displays at the bar the same clearness of statement and the same elo- 
quence of diction, wit, sarcasm and invective that has distinguished him upon 
the stump. As an advocate he guards with honorable jealousy the rights and 
privileges of his profession. In the presence of the court and bar he is always 



256 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

dignified and courteous, brief in address, speaking to the point, and when that 
is reached resting his case. In argument he is not prolix, is careful in citation 
of authority and concentrates all his energies upon the points vital to his 
case. In business he is honorable, liberal and generous to a fault, while de- 
serving need always finds in him a friend. In personal intercourse he is kind, 
courteous and winning, and these are qualities which are thoroughly appre- 
ciated by his wide circle of friends, who enjoy the kindly companionship of 
his pleasant home, with its genial intercourse, its generous and thoughtful hos- 
pitality. 

Mr. Babst has been twice married. In 1872 he wedded Miss Alice E. 
Martin, and to them were born two children : Lora M. and Carl M/ Mrs. 
Babst died in 1878 and in 1882 he married Miss Luella Carlisle. By this 
marriage there we're two children — Clara Eleanor and Guy Mannering. The 
daughters are now students in college ; Carl is an attorney ; and Guy is at 
home — a pupil in the schools of Crestline. 

ALBERT SHEIBLEY. 

Albert Sheibley is practically living retired in New Washington, but for 
many years was one of the most progressive, enterprising and prosperous 
representatives of the agricultural interests of Crawford county, and his life 
illustrates most forcibly the advantages which America offers to her citizens 
and which have proved a strong inducement to native citizens of foreign 
lands in bringing them to the shores of the new world. Mr. Sheibley is one 
of the residents of Crawford county that Germany has furnished to Ohio. 
He was born in Bremgarten, Baden, on the 6th of April, 1837, and is a son of 
John B. and Mary Magdalena ( Link) Sheibley. The father was called by 
his friends John the Baptist. This worthy couple were the parents of eight 
children, but only two of the number are yet living, the sister of our subject 
being Teresa, widow of Peter Fox, of Milan, Erie county, Ohio. The father 
was born in Baden, Germany, in January, 1800, and was an only child. He 
was reared in the place of his nativity, learning the tailor's trade, and was there 
married. He also resided in Baden until 1845, devoting his attention to tailor- 
ing and farming. He belonged to the middle class of people, not being rated 
as wealthy, yet being in comfortable circumstances. On the 6th of March, 
1845, h e sailed for America with his family, embarking at Havre de Grace on 
a former war vessel, the St. Nicholas. They reached New York City after 
thirty-six days and the vessel was there condemned, so that they made the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 257 

journey on her last trip. On reaching the eastern metropolis the Sheibley 
family proceeded by canal to Buffalo, thence by lake to Huron and from that 
point to Milan by way of the canal, and from Milan they continued the trip 
by wagon to Gabon, where the father located his family. He then began the 
search for a suitable home farm, and after three months purchased a tract 
of land of forty acres in Vernon township, in that portion which was a part of 
Richland county, but is now in Crawford county. T0 1 the new home he re- 
moved his family, the farm having been improved with a hewed-log house and 
a round-log cabin. There was also a good orchard and ten acres of land 
had been cleared. There Mr. Sheibley remained for more than seven years, 
and during that period completed the task of clearing the land and placing it 
under cultivation. He was the first man to introduce artificial drainage, cut- 
ting a ditch through his own land and through that of a neighbor in order to 
get an outlet for his ditch. After a number of years spent upon his first 
farm, he sold the property and removed to the southeast corner of Cran- 
berry township, where he purchased an eighty-acre farm, and there he con- 
tinued the work of ditching and improving his land until i860, when he 
sold out and bought an eighty-acre tract that is now owned by our subject 
and is situated three-fourths of a mile east of the corporation limits of New 
Washington. It remained his place of abode until the time of his death, 
which occurred in January, 1885. He was a man of remarkable energy 
and did much toward developing and upbuilding the section of the county 
in which he lived. A year after reaching Galion he took out naturaliza- 
tion papers and was ever a loyal and faithful citizen of his adopted 
land. His political support was given the Democracy, and in religious 
belief he was a German Catholic. His wife was born in 1802 and 
died May 15, 1888. She, too, was a devoted member of the Catholic church. 
Her father, Philo Link, was a burgomaster or mayor of Bremgarten, Ger- 
many, for sixty consecutive years, a fact which indicates his popularity and 
prominence. During that period he was also proprietor of the Gasthaus zur 
Stube, a hotel which had been built by his father. Mr. Link was one of the 
wealthiest men and most influential citizens of the town. In his family were 
two sons, Moritz and Erhardt. who were with Napoleon in the Prussian war. 
Albert Sheibley, whose name forms the caption of this review, spent his 
boyhood days in his parents' home and acquired a common-school education in 
an old pioneer log school house, being instructed in both German and English. 
His father was for many years crippled with rheumatism and thus the burden 
of the fairm work devolved upon our subject, and as soon as he was old 



25S CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

enough to drive the oxen became the practical farmer upon the place. His 
life has been one of marked industry and honest toil, and throughout the 
years his labors, honorably conducted, have brought to him creditable success. 

On the 29th of September, 1862, Mr. Sheibley was united in marriage 
to Miss Elizabeth Karl, a native of Bohemia and a daughter of Christopher 
and Anna (Mottlin) Karl, who emigrated to America in 1853, locating in 
Crawford county, where they resided until death. After the marriage of our 
subject he took up his abode in Shelby, Ohio, and was employed by the An- 
derson Slaughtering Company, having previously learned the butcher's trade 
from William Weaver, a neighbor. After five months spent in Shelby Mr. 
Sheibley returned to his home and purchased the old homestead farm, his 
parents residing with him until they were called to their final rest. The mar- 
riage of our subject and his wife has been blessed with eleven children, of 
whom nine are yet living, namely: Mathias is now serving as township 
trustee and is operating the home farm. Albert F., of Ottawa, Ohio, is a 
graduate of the New Washington high school and was supervisor of the 
institution for the insane in Toledo, Ohio. He had previously taught school, 
and for seven terms was a successful teacher. He was also graduated at the 
Starling Medical College, of Columbus, and took a post-graduate course in 
Berlin, Germany. He is now successfully practicing in Ottawa and has a 
large patronage. Mary A. is the widow of Joseph Miller and is conducting 
a dressmaking and millinery establishment in New Washington. Rosa is 
the wife of Peter Heydinger, a farmer of Cranberry township. Catherine is 
the wife of Frank Goodman, a brick mason and contractor of Akron, Ohio. 
Fannie is the wife of M. E. Lauerman, a merchant of Hammond, Indiana. 
John B. is at home. Margaret is the wife of Joe Miller, of Van Wert county, 
Ohio. Jacob, who resides in Delphos, Ohio, is now a traveling salesman for 
the McCormick Machine Company. The children have all been provided with 
excellent educational privileges and are a credit to their honored parents. 

Mr. Sheibley, of this review, is a stanch Democrat in his political affil- 
iations and for forty years has served almost continuously in township or 
county offices. For a number of years he was supervisor in his district, 
and during that period did much toward ditching and improving- the roads. 
He afterward served for three terms as township trustee and refused to con- 
tinue longer in that office. After an interval of two years, however, he was 
again elected and remained in the position for three or four years longer, 
although he was decidedly opposed to holding the office. Fidelity to duty and 
the capable manner in which he guarded the interests of his constituents 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 259 

made him a very desirable official and his fellow townsmen again and again 
elected him to office. In 1883 he was elected cctunty infirmary director 
and served in that capacity for six years. In 1891 he was appointed 
superintendent of the infirmary and then resigned the office of justice of 
the peace, to which he had been elected in the meantime, in order 
to accept the new position, which he held for eight years and nine months. 
He then resigned and removed to New Washington, where he is now enjoy- 
ing the fruits of his many years of labor. About a year ago he purchased 
a forty-acre farm near the town. This is one of the best improved properties 
in the county, being supplied with all modern accessories and conveniences, 
and to its supervision Mr. Sheibley devotes his attention. He has however, 
in former years acquired a handsome competence sufficient to supply him with 
all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. He is a charter member 
of the Maccabees Lodge, of Bucyrus. but is not now in active connection 
with the organization. He is one of the best known men of the county, a 
substantial and prosperous citizen, whose public and private life are- alike 
above reproach. 

D. D. McCALLUM, M. D. 

The medical profession in Crestline is well represented by Dr. McCallum. 
whu has advanced steadily to a position of prominence as the result of his 
thorough understanding of medical principles and the ability with which he 
applies his professional knowledge to the needs of suffering humanity. He- 
was born in York county, Ontario. Canada, on the 24th of August, 1868, 
and is a son of John McCallum, a native of Scotland. The father was a 
carriage-maker by trade, learning the business in the land of his birth. When 
a young man he went to Canada, where he was engaged in the manufacture 
of carriages through a long period. For some years prior to his death, how- 
ever, he lived retired, enjoying a comfortable competence, which had re- 
warded his earnest and well directed efforts. He married Miss Mary Capner, 
who was also born in Scotland. His death occurred when he was seventy- 
five years of age, and his wife passed away at the age of sixty-eight years. 
They were the parents of eight children, five sons and three daughters, all of 
whom reached years of maturity, while with one exception all are yet living. 

The Doctor, the seventh child and second son of the family, pursued his 
preliminary education in the schools of his native town and later enjoyed 
educational advantages afforded by Seaforth College, in Huron county. On- 

14 



260 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

tario. Subsequently he matriculated in the University of Toronto, Canada, 
where he was graduated In 1896, on the completion of a course in medicine. 
He practiced for one year in that place and then came to Crestline, where 
he established his home in 1897. Here he has since prosecuted his profession 
with excellent success, his broad reading" and investigation keeping" him in 
touch with the most advanced thought and improved methods in the line of 
his chosen calling, and from the faithful performance of each day's duties he 
finds inspiration and encouragement for the labors of the succeeding" day. He 
is a member of the Ohio State Medical Society. 

In July, 1896, Dr. McCallum was united in marriage to Miss Carry 
Coats, a native of Clinton, Ontario county, Canada, and a daughter of William 
and Sarah Coats, the former a native of Scotland. The Doctor and his wife 
now have two interesting" children, — Lillian and Jessie. Their pleasant home 
is a favorite resort with man}' friends, and they also enjoy the hospitality ex- 
tended to them by the best families of Crestline. 

DAVID E. HOSLER. 

While success cannot be achieved without unflagging" industry, the futility 
of effort is often noticeable in the business world and results from the fact 
that it is not combined with sound business judgment. Many a man who 
gives his entire life to toil, earnest and unremitting, never acquires a com- 
petence, but when his labor is well directed, prosperity always follows. Mr. 
Hosier is one whose work has been supplemented by careful management 
and to-day he is among those who have triumphed over adverse conditions 
and won success. As a manufacturer of lumber he is now actively connected 
with the industrial interests of Crawford county. 

A native son of Richland county, Ohio, he was born August 1, 1862. His 
paternal grandparents, Henry and Lydia A. ( Hoffman) Hosier, were both na- 
tives of Pennsylvania, and came to Morrow county, Ohio, among the early set- 
tlers. Subsequently they removed to Noble county, Indiana, where their re- 
maining days were passed. The grandfather followed the occupation of farm- 
ing as a life pursuit. Levi H. Hosier, the father of our subject, was born in 
Morrow county, Ohio, April 2. 1845, an( l there spent his youth, learning" the 
trade of a wagonmaker. He married Miss Abigail Bacheldor, who was born 
111 the same county August 26, 1847, an( l was a daughter of New England 
parents, who came from Maine to the Buckeye state at an early period in its 
development. Soon after his marriage Levi H. Hosier removed to Richland 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 261 

county and opened a shop in the village of Shancks. Three years later he 
went to Noble county, Indiana, and engaged in farming in Jefferson township 
for four years, after which he took up his abode in Green township, where he 
made his home for fourteen years. On the expiration of that period he went 
to Cass county, where he operated a sawmill for three years, when he removed 
his mill to Auburn, DeKalb county, Indiana. After two years, however, 
he disposed of that property and went to Alberton, Williams county, Ohio, 
where he established a mill, conducting the same for eleven years, and in 
May, 1900, he disposed of that enterprise by sale and went to Hicks ville, 
Ohio, where he is now successfully engaged in the manufacture of lumber. 
In his political opinions and connections he is a stanch Democrat and while 
in Williams county he held the position of township treasurer for a period 
of seven years, proving a careful guardian of the public exchecquer. Unto 
Mr. and Airs. Levi H. Hosier were born four children, of whom three are 
living, namely: David E., William E., a lumber merchant of Homer, Michi- 
gan, and George L., who is engaged in business with his eldest brother. 

Surrounded by the refining influences of a good home, Mr. Hosier 
passed the period of youth and in the common schools acquired the education 
which, fitted him for the transaction of business in later years. He was not 
yet twenty-one years of age, when, on the nth of January, 1883, he was 
united in marriage to Miss Florence N. Applegate, of Noble county, Indiana, 
a native of Ohio and a daughter of James M. Applegate. one of the pioneer 
fanners of Noble county, now deceased. Her mother was Sophia (Gray) 
Applegate. The young couple began their domestic life upon a farm in that 
county and for three years Mr. Hosier cultivated rented land, after which he 
removed to Albion, where he pursued a course of study in a business college. 
There he remained for three years and his next place of abode was in Alberton, 
Ohio, where he was employed as bookkeeper and secretary by his father. After 
acting in those capacities for eight years he acquired an interest in the business, 
but alter two years the sawmill and lumber yard were completely destroyed by 
fire and Mr. Hosier, of this review, thus had swept away in a few hours the ac- 
cumulations of years of persistent and earnest toil. In May, 1899, he came 
to New Washington, where he began life anew, with a bank account of only 
twenty-five dollars. With characteristic energy, however, he took up the 
struggle whereby he is retrieving his lost possessions. He began buying logs 
on a small scale and had these sawed into- lumber in the mill of Herman & 
Mahon, carrying on business in that way until the following December, when 
he had accumulated enough to purchase his present mill. Becoming owner 



262 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

of the property which he now controls, he has since forged ahead, and to-day 
he is one of the leading business men of the town, furnishing employment to 
some twenty-six workmen at the present writing, while his force usually 
ranges from ten to thirty. He cuts export stuff, largely for a firm in Indiana, 
and is one of the leading lumber manufacturers of his district. His business 
has reached a large volume and the magnitude of his undertakings results in 
bringing" to him a handsome financial return. 

The marriage of Air. and Mrs. Hosier has been blessed with five chil- 
dren : Harvey E., Rosa M., Sylvia N., Lela A. and James H., all yet with 
their parents. 

In his social relations Air. Hosier is connected with Superior Lodge, 
No. 179, F. & A. M., of West Unity, Ohio; Alberton Lodge, No. 655, K. of 
P., and has twice been a delegate to the grand lodge. His political support 
is given the men and measures of the Democracy. Splendid business and 
executive force make him one of the leading representatives of the industrial 
interests in the count} - , and his reliable methods have gained for him the con- 
fidence and respect of all with whom he has -come in contact. 

ALBERT H. SCHWEMLEY. 

Albert H. Schwemley was born in Xew Washington, Ohio, November 
9, 1862, being one of the eight children whose parents were John G. and 
Mathilda ( Hesse) Schwemley. The father was a native of Germany, born 
in 1830, his parents being George and Catherine ( Gugle) Schwemley. The 
grandfather of our subject was born in Germany, about 1805. and came to 
America in 1833. locating in Chatfield township, Crawford county, where he 
entered eight}' acres of wild land. With characteristic energy he began clear- 
ing the tract, being thus employed through the winter season, while in the 
summer months he worked on the' canal, in order to secure the money neces- 
sary to the support of his family. He built a log cabin and for a number 
of years resided upon his first claim, but he eventually sold that property and 
purchased eighty acres adjoining, upon which he made his home until 1870. 
In that year he became a resident of the home of his son. John, an uncle of 
our subject. He had lived with our subject's father for a short time, until after 
his wife's death. His own demise occurred in 1872. In his political faith he 
was a Democrat and in his religions belief was a Lutheran. 

John G. Schwemley, the father of him whose name introduces this record, 
was only two years of age when his parents came to the new world and in 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 263 

Chatfield township, Crawford county, was he reared, learning the carpenter's 

trade m his youth. He married Miss Mathilda Hesse and located in New 

Washington, where he followed his chosen vocation until 1864 when he 

purchased a farm of sixty acres in Chatfield township, devoting his energies 

to its improvement and cultivation up to the time of the death of his wife in 

1870. He then sold out and went to Columbus, where he studied for the 

Lutheran ministry. Three years later he accepted a call to preach the gespel 

m the church of this denomination, in Hopewell, Mercer county, Ohio and 

while living there he was again married, his second union being with Miss 

Caroline Houk, of Delaware, this state. They became the parents of four 

children, ot whom three are living: Clara, the wife of George Metzger of 

Columbus; Rufus, who lives in the same city; and Laura, who lives with her 

mother, also of Columbus. 

After three years passed in Hopewell John G. Schwemley removed to 
Homerville. Medina county, Ohio, and in February, 1879, went to Kansas 
settling near Spearville, in Ford county., upon a farm of one hundred and sixty 
acres. He was engaged in preaching in that locality for about two years, 
after which he did missionary work, while his sons cultivated the farm " His 
missionary work was a labor of love, for he received no remuneration for 
his church work and missionary services. In November, 1891, he returned 
to Ohio, locating in Grove City, where he followed gardening and canvassing. 
In April, 1898, he became a resident of Columbus, but was not long per- 
mitted to enjoy his new home, for his death occurred on the 25th of* May 
following. He voted with the Democracy, but had no desire for office, pre- 
ferring to devote his energies to his business affairs and to the gospel work- 
He possessed superior ability as a vocalist and for a number of years engaged 
111 leading the singing in his district and also taught vocal music/ The mother 
of our subject was born in New Washington, Ohio, about 1836, and her father 
was one of the pioneer merchants of the city. While on a trip to Buffalo to 
buy goods the boat on which he had embarked was destroyed by fire and he 
was drowned. Mrs. Schwemley departed this life in 1870, and our subject is 
the only survivor of her eight children. The others of the family were: 
tt ilham, who died in August. 1870. at the age of thirteen years ; Jacob F who 
was a ranchman at Del Xorte. Colorado, and died in 1892 at the age of thirty- 
two years; Mary L, who resided with her grandparents at Xew Washington 
and died December 26, 1887, at the age of twenty-one years: Robert A., who 
was a miner and died at Lake City, Colorado, in February, 1897, at the age of 



264 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

twenty-nine; Franklin and Margaret, who died in early life; and an infant who 
died unnamed. 

Mr. Schwemley, whose name forms the caption of this review, was only 
eight years of age at the time of his mother's death, after which he made his 
home with his nncle, Jacob Sheetz, during the greater part of the time until 
1879, when he went to Kansas with his father. In December, 1881, he re- 
turned to New Washington. Previous to this time his educational privileges 
had been those afforded by the common schools, but on again coming to Ohio 
he entered the Xew Washington high school and was a member of its first 
graduating class in June, 1883, at which time he had the honor of delivering 
the salutatory address. On putting aside his text-books he entered upon his 
business career as an employe in the store of J. Sheetz & Brother, and con- 
tinued to serve as salesman until 1894, with the exception of a period of one 
year, from February, 1888, until February, 1889, when he was in the employ 
of L. C. Hall & Company, dry goods merchants of Bucyrus. In January, 
1894, he secured a position in the store of J. M. Guiss, a hardware merchant 
of New Washington, with whom he remained until March 10, 1898, when he 
engaged in the dry goods, notions and grocery business for himself. Since 
that time he has secured a liberal and constantly growing patronage and is 
now accounted one of the enterprising, wide-awake and progressive merchants 
of his native city. 

On the 30th of December, 1891, Mr. Schwemley was united in marriage 
to Miss Mathilda R. Biber, a native of Cranberry township, Crawford county, 
and a daughter of Jacob and Christina (Utz) Biber, both of whom were 
natives of Germany. Her father came to the United States with his parents 
during his childhood, the family settling in Cranberry township at a very 
early period of its development. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Schwemley 
was blessed with four children: Louisa M., who was born November 2$, 
1892; Paul H., born August 31, 1894; Mary C, burn February 10, 1897; and 
George W T ., born May 10, 1900. 

Mr. Schwemley is recognized as one of the active workers in the Demo- 
cratic ranks and for the past three years has been a member of the school 
board, while for several terms he has held the office of corporation treasurer. 

name is on the membership roll of the Lutheran church and in its work 
he is actively and deeply interested. For several years he has served as a 
teacher in the Sunday-school and did all in his power to promote Christian 
education among the children of the community. He and his family occupy 
a comfortable residence at the northwest corner of Scharf and Rossman streets 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 265, 

and the household is celebrated for its gracious hospitality. Mr. Schwemlev 
is now accounted one of the substantial business men of his native place and 
is a highly esteemed resident. His close application in business, unfaltering- 
purpose and sound judgment have enabled him to progress steadily on the 
path to prosperity. 

JOHN H. SHEETZ. 

Rising above the head of the masses are many men of sterling worth and 
value, who by sheer perseverance and pluck have conquered fortune and by 
their own unaided efforts have risen from the ranks of the commonplace to 
positions of eminence in the business world, and at the same time have >m- 
manded the trust and respect of those with whom they have been in any way 
thrown in contact. Among the earnest men whose depth of character and 
strict adherence to principle excite the admiration of his contemporaries Air. 
Sheetz is. prominent. He is now recognized as one of the leading merchants 
of his portion of Crawford county and is not only in control of one of the 
extensive commercial enterprises of Xew Washington but is also successfully 
engaged in the banking business, and is regarded as one of the best financiers 
in this part of the state. 

Mr. Sheetz was born in the city which is still his home, his natal day being 
August 29, 1852. His parents were John A. and Margaret (Donnenwirth) 
Sheetz. He remained with his parents during the period of his boyhood and 
youth and acquired his preliminary education in the New Washington dis- 
trict schools, supplementing his early study by a course in Oberlin College 
and in Mount Union College. During the last two years of his school life he 
spent the summer months on his father's farm. Agricultural pursuits were 
congenial to him and he rather desired to carry on farming, but in 1872. at the 
earnest solicitation of his father, he became a clerk in the hitter's store and 
served in that capacity until 1874, when he purchased his father's interest in 
the business and became a partner of his brother Jacob. This connection has 
since been maintained. Our subject soon manifested superior ability in the 
line of commerce and as a merchant took front rank among the leading rep- 
resentatives of trade interests in his native town. The store which the 
brothers own is large and well stocked and they enjoy a very liberal patr 
age. In 1876 the banking firm of the John A. Sheetz Company was organized 
and our subject became cashier and financial manager. The success of the 



266 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

institution is largely due to his efforts, which have resulted in making this one 
of the leading financial concerns in this portion of the county. 

On the 2d of October, 1889, occurred the marriage of Mr. Sheetz and 
Miss Theresa AY. Michaelis. a native of Bucyrus and a daughter of the Rev. 
August Michaelis, a minister of the Lutheran church. Her father was born 
in Prussia and came to America about 1840, when a young man. Unto our 
subject and his wife have been born two sons, — John A. and Walter F. Air. 
Sheetz votes with the Democracy and is a recognized leader in its ranks. 
He has served for six or seven years as a member of the school board and for 
six or eight years has been treasurer of the board. His religious belief con- 
nects him with the Lutheran church, and for three years he was a member of 
the church council, while for a similar period he served as deacon and was 
secretary of the building committee when the present substantial and com- 
modious house of worship was erected. Mr. Sheetz is a man of distinctive 
ability, and his character is one which is above a shadow of reproach. He 
has been faithful in the offices to which he has been called, loyal to the duties 
of public and private life and is widely known and respected by all who have 
been at all familiar with his honorable and useful career. 

CHARLES J. SCROGGS. 

Charles Jacob Scroggs, the senior member of the law firm of Scroggs 
& Monnett, is the only child of the late Hon. Jacob Scroggs, attorney at 
law, and his wife, Julia A. Walwork. 7 he Scroggs family in America was 
founded by three brothers, Alexander, Allan and John, who came from Edin- 
burg to Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, about 1740, and who, according 
to family tradition, were either nephews or grandnephews of Chief Justice 
Scroggs of the King's Bench under Charles II. Allan Scroggs died in 
Cumberland count}- in 177.6, leaving a numerous family, of whom the second 
son, John, made his way to Baltimore, where, in 1786, he was married to 
Frances Hook. Their third son. also named John, was born in Baltimore 
June 9. 1794, and continued to live there until 18 19, taking part in the war 
of 181 2 and being present at the bombardment of Fort McHenry and at 
North Point. Fie then removed to Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and 
one vear later to Columbiana county, Ohio, where in 1821 he was married 
to Miss Ann Shawke, daughter of Jacob and Dorothea (Kester) Shawke. 
Her father was born in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, November 15, 1759, 
and was of Bavarian ancestry, beino- able to trace his familv back to the 





C^c^^^>^>^^^ 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 269 

fourteenth century. He was a soldier of the Revolution, serving during 
portions of seven years in a number of Pennsylvania companies, and dying 
at Lisbon, Ohio, in 1832. 

John Scroggs was a hatter by trade and followed this business at Lisbon 
and Canton, Ohio, and afterward at Bucyrus, moving to this place in 1839 
and settling on the site of the present residence of the subject of this sketch, 
his house at that time being the last one but one on Walnut street and the 
last one on Rensselaer street. Here he resided until his death, in 1861, 
having lived, not an eventful life, but one which won for him the highest 
respect of all who knew him. After his death his widow made her home 
with her only living- daughter, Mrs. W. T. Giles, until her death in 1882, 
at the ripe age of eighty-six years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Scroggs were life- 
long and faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the pres- 
ent beautiful edifice in Bucyrus contains memorial windows in their honor. 

They were the parents of seven children: Joseph R., who died in Free- 
port, Illinois, unmarried, in 1867, a newspaper man by profession, and a 
prominent Mason and Odd Fellow ; AYilliam M., for two terms county 
auditor, married Miss Margaret Byron in 1849, an< ^ cuec ^ a ^ Bucyrus in 
1874, leaving surviving him his widow and two children, all since deceased; 
Jacob; Mary, wife of W. T. Giles, one of the veteran newspaper men of the 
west, who died at Freeport, Illinois, in 1898, his wife having passed to the 
spirit world in 1889, leaving two children, — W. S., a railway mail clerk, 
and Mira L.. a teacher in the Chicago schools; Mira, wife of C. W. Butter- 
field, died at Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1859; Amanda, who died young; and John 
B., a prominent lawyer of Kansas City, Kansas, where he died in 1899, 
leaving surviving him a widow and three step-children. 

Jacob Scroggs was born in Canton, Ohio, August 11, 1827, and died 
at Bucyrus, Ohio. March 23. 1897. During his boyhood he acquired such 
education as the frontier schools could furnish, and also learned his father's 
trade, but that not proving congenial employment he taught school for five 
terms, worked on the local newspapers and in clerical positions in the court- 
house, clerked in Toledo for a year and traveled for one year for Winthrop- 
Smith & Company, the predecessors of the American Book Company. He 
then studied law, under the direction of Judge Hall and D. W. Swigart, 
was graduated at the Cincinnati Law School in 1854. and the following year 
opened an office in Bucyrus, where for forty years he occupied an honored 
position at the Crawford county bar. Never sanctioning the "sharp prac- 
tice"' which too many consider a necessarv concomitant of the practice of 



2;o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

law, others had more success than he in making a jury believe ''the worse 
were the better cause;" but in profound knowledge of the law, fine reasoning 
powers and in that integrity of character which enabled and compelled him 
on occasion to fearlessly tell a client he was in the wrong, he stood easily 
in the front rank. From the memorial to him adopted by the Ohio State 
Bar Association, we extract the following : 

"Upon his fair fame the breath of suspicion never dared to rest. His 
word was a bond that was never forfeited and his rugged manhood com- 
manded confidence and won respect from all. With few early advantages, 
he made himself, by industry and energy, a peer of the ablest lawyers of the 
state, a man of liberal education, broad views and affluent circumstances. 
He was held in universal esteem by men of all parties throughout the city, 
the county and the state." 

Always an active Republican and Crawford county being heavily Demo- 
cratic, circumstances prevented his ever holding important public office. He 
was mayor of Bucyrus for four years and for twelve years a member of the 
board of education, being for ten years the president of that body, and for 
nine years his name being upon both tickets. He was a presidential elector 
in 1864 and again in 1880, was the Republican candidate for circuit judge 
in 1 88-| . and two years later was an unsuccessful candidate for the Repub- 
lican nomination for supreme judge. 

He was married to Julia A. Walwork on September 22, 1859. She 
was born in Philadelphia August 4, 1833, and died at Bucyrus, Ohio, July 
23, 1901. She was a daughter of Thomas Walwork, a native of England, 
and Alary Stephens, of Glens Falls, New York, her mother's family tracing 
back to the early Puritan settlers. She commenced to teach school at the 
age of fourteen, her first experience being gained near Syracuse, Xew York, 
and had a life certificate empowering her to teach in any school in Xew York 
state. In 1855 she went to Georgia as a teacher, but her anti-slavery views 
led to her return north in 1857. sne coming to Bucyrus to take charge of the 
high school, a position she filled with marked success and continued to hold 
until three years after her marriage. The rest of her life was devoted to her 
home, family and friends. For many years before her death she was an 
invalid and virtually confined to the limits of her own home, vet her per- 
sonality was such that so long as she lived she remained one of the most 
prominent factors in the intellectual and social life of the city. 

They had but one child. Charles Jacob Scroggs, the subject of this sketch. 
He was born in Bucyrus, Ohio, July 14. 1863, was educated by his mother 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 271 

and in our public schools, at which he graduated in 1877, the youngest high- 
school graduate on record. He attended Ohio Wesleyan University at Dela- 
ware one year, and then took a four-years course at Michigan University, 
Ann Arbor, graduating at that institution in 1884 with the degree of A. 
M., being one of seven in a class of ninety to receive the master's degree 
instead of the customary A. B. Two years later he was graduated at the 
Cincinnati Law School with the degree of LL. B., and since then has been 
actively engaged in the practice of his profession at Bucyrus, being asso- 
ciated with his father until the latter's death, and since then with his present 
partner. He has inherited many of his father's characteristics, and as a 
safe, accurate advisor, particularly in matters of commercial and corpora- 
tion law, he is excelled by none in the county. He has also been actively 
identified with the business life of the community. He was one of the organ- 
izers of the Bucyrus Loan & Building Association, of which he has been 
attorney and director since its inception, and helped organize, and is one of 
the board of directors of, the Home Mutual Fire Association. 

Outside of business he finds employment for his time in his books, secret 
orders and the game of whist. Lie has one of the finest private libraries in 
Bucyrus and has it thoroughly at his command, is a member of all c«f the 
local Masonic bodies and of Ohio Consistory, thirty-second degree, at Cin- 
cinnati; is a past chancellor. Demas Lodge, Xo. 108, K. of P., and under 
Grand Chancellor Young was his deputy for the sixteenth Pythian district, 
composed of Crawford, Seneca and Wyandot counties; was a charter mem- 
ber of Bucyrus Lodge, Xo. 156, B. P. O. E.. and is a life member of the 
grand lodge of j:hat order. He also takes an active interest in the Sons 
of the American Revolution, and has been one of the board of managers of 
its Ohio society and was a delegate to its last national congress. He is 
recognized as one of the leading whist-players of the state, and is a frequent 
contributor to the literature of the ''silent .°"ame." He has never married. 



WALLACE L. MOXXETT. 

Wallace Lafayette Monnett, the junior member of the law firm of 
Scroggs & Monnett, was born at Bucyrus. Ohio. September 18. 1871, his 
parents being Abram Cahill and Jennie E. (Walwork) Monnett. The 
ancestry of the Monnett family can be traced back to Abraham Monnett, who 
came to Ohio from Virginia in 1800, taking up his abode in Chillicothe. 



272 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

He had eight children, — Isaac, Thomas, Margaret, Jeremiah, John, William, 
Osborne and Elizabeth. Isaac married Elizabeth Pittinger, and in 1813 
removed to Pickaway county, moving again in 1828 to- Crawford county, 
where he entered fourteen hundred and forty acres of land south of Bucyrus 
and engaged in stock-raising on an extensive scale. 

His son, William, was born in Ross county, Ohio, April 22, 1808. 
When about eighteen he taught school a few terms, and at twenty accom- 
panied his parents to Crawford county, where he became prominently identi- 
fied with stock-raising interests. About the time of his removal to this 
county he joined the Methodist church, and when thirty-two years of age 
received a license as a local preacher. The same day he w T as appointed col- 
onel of the First Regiment, Third Brigade, Eleventh Division, Ohio militia, 
and filled this position acceptably for seven years. In 1851 he moved to 
Bucyrus and opened a general store in partnership with Patterson Marshall, 
but in 1854 returned to stock-raising, purchasing four hundred acres of 
land near Bucyrus. part of which is now in the city limits, and eleven hun- 
dred acres of land in Cranberry township. This land he continued to occupy 
until his death, March 21, 1885. He was prominent in county affairs and 
in church work, and lent his influence to all measures calculated to prove of 
good along material, intellectual and moral lines. He was married, in Jan- 
uary 11, 1831, to Miss Elizabeth Cahill, a sister of the late Hon. R. W. 
Cahill, of Vernon township, and a daughter of Abram and Nancy (Wallace) 
Cahill. She was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, April 12, 
1810, and died at Bucyrus, Ohio, May 3, 1891. Her father resided in 
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and at one time was connected with 
the state militia. Colonel Monnett and wife were the parents of five chil- 
dren : Mary J., wife of Hon. S. R. Harris; Rachel, wife of W. H. Kinnear, 
of Bucyrus township: Sarah L., wife of L. L. Walker, of Whetstone town- 
ship; Isaac W., formerly of Walla Walla, Washington; and Abram C. Of 
these. Mrs. Walker is the only one now living. 

Abram Cahill Monnett, the father of the subject of this sketch, was 
born in Bucyrus township March 31, 1839, and died in Bucyrus April 17, 
1879. Pie was educated in the county schools and at Ohio Wesleyan Uni- 
versity, Delaware, Ohio. From 1861 to 1864 he was a member of Com- 
pany E, Thirty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of which he was orderly 
sergeant, and participated in all the engagements of the Army of Virginia. 
He was married, December 11, 1867, to Miss Jennie E. Walwork, a daugh- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 273 

ter of Thomas and Mary (Stephens) Walwork, who was born at Saratoga, 
New York, June 6, 1840. She was educated in the Albany State Normal 
School of Albany, Xew York, at which she graduated in i860, and the fol- 
lowing year became a teacher in the Bucyrus schools, a position she satis- 
factorily filled for five years. They were the parents of five children: 
Frank \Y.. Wallace L., Elizabeth, Julia and Rachel. Frank W. was edu- 
cated in the Bucyrus schools and at the Cincinnati Law School, and was 
admitted to practice in 1893. He located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 
where he remained until the breaking out of the Spanish war, since which 
time he has been in the army, being now in charge of a company of native 
scouts in the Philippines. Elizabeth was educated at the New England 
Conservatory of Music and is the wife of Rev. James M. Cass, a Methodist 
minister now located at Jay, Essex county. New York. Julia and Rachel 
are graduates of the elocution department of the Cincinnati College of 
Music and reside in Bucyrus with their widowed mother. They are teachers 
of elocution, of ability, and have an enviable reputation as public readers, an 
occupation to which they give a large part of their time. 

Wallace Lafayette Monnett was born in Bucyrus September 18, 1871. 
After graduating in the Bucyrus schools and at Eastman Business College, 
of Poughkeepsie. New York, he studied law in the office of Scroggs & 
Scroggs and afterward at Cincinnati Law School, at which he graduated in 
1896. Hon. Jacob Scroggs having meanwhile retired from practice, he 
returned to his old office and on April 1. 1897, was admitted to partner- 
ship, the firm since then having beejn Scroggs & Monnett. He is now serv- 
ing his second term as referee in bankruptcy, discharging his duties in a 
manner that has won him the commendation of the profession and the public, 
and has acquired a high reputation in his general practice. In politics he 
is an aggressive Republican, having been chairman of the county executive 
committee. He belongs to but one of the large secret orders, Demas Lodge, 
No. 108, K. of P., of which he is past chancellor and has been county deputy 
grand chancellor. April 6, 1897, ne was married to Mary Zouck, a daugh- 
ter of Jacob and Martha ( Millinder) Zouck, of Baltimore, Maryland, where 
the family is widely known in official and social circles. Mrs. Monnett was 
born near Baltimore December 26, 1876, and was educated at Maryland Col- 
lege, formerly Lutherville Seminary, and at the Cincinnati College of Music, 
at which she graduated in 1896. They are the parents of two children, — 
Martha Elizabeth and Margaret Louise. 



274 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

WILLIAM S. TAYLOR. 

William Stacy Taylor, a popular passenger conductor on the Big Four 
Railroad residing at Galion, Ohio, was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, on 
the ioth of February, 1845, and is a representative of one of the early families 
of that state. His grandfather, Joseph Gore, was a native of the same county, 
as was Mahlon K. Taylor, the father of our subject, whose birth occurred about 
the year 1810. In 1830 the latter was married to Miss Amanda M. Gore 
and in the year 1849 removed to Logan county, Ohio, locating on a farm 
two miles northwest of Bellefontaine, where he continued to reside, engaging 
in the business of farming until his death, which occurred October 18, 1868. 
The children of this marriage were as follows : Sarah J., the widow of 
Henry Casebolt, of Bellefontaine: Ruth H., wife of John Grimes, a retired 
farmer of Bellefontaine; Thomas O., who for a number of years has been an 
employe of the Standard Oil Company, located at various points and is now 
a resident of Columbus, Ohio; Annabelle, wife of R. B. Keller, cashier of the 
People's National Bank, of Bellefontaine; Frank G., a resident of Sioux 
City, Iowa, and is now in the employ of the street railway company of that 
place; Alice, who is living in Springfield, Ohio; Elizabeth, who died at the 
old home farm near Bellefontaine, in 1864, when three years of age; and 
William S., whose name introduces this review. 

William Stacy Taylor, whose name forms the caption of this sketch, was 
a little lad of three summers when the parents came with their family from 
Loudoun county, Virginia, to Ohio, locating in Logan count}-, near Belle- 
fontaine. There from early youth until manhood Mr. Taylor continued to 
reside on the farm contributing such labor and assistance as his age and 
strength would enable him to perform. On the 27th of October, 1868, at 
the age of nearly twenty-four years, he chose as a companion and helpmeet 
on life's journey Miss Rachel Melinda Clabaugh, a daughter of Nicholas 
Clabaugh, of Champaign county, Ohio, who died in 185 1. This union was 
blessed with the following children : Cornelia Amanda, born October 4, 
1869; Agnes Belle, born September 10, 1870; Grace Edna, born May 10, 

1872, and died March 23, 1878; and Iva Adel, who was born November 19, 

1873. The eldest daughter is the wife of Joseph Belser, of Bellefontaine, and 
Agnes Belle is the wife of William H. Heffner. of Galion, while Iva married 
the Rev. O. D. Baltzly, pastor of St. Luke's church of Mansfield, Ohio. 

William S. Taylor is a veteran of the war of the Rebellion. He re- 
sponded to the call of his country, promptly enlisting in Company L. Second 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 275 

Ohio Heavy Artillery, with which he served throughout the war. His con- 
nection with the Big Four Railroad Company was begun in May, 1874, when 
he was made brakeman. He successively passed through different positions 
of importance and trust and was, in 1888, promoted to the position of pas- 
senger conductor, which he has held continuously through thirteen years. 
Judged by his advancement during the term of his connection with the Big- 
Four Company, merit and efficiency seem not to have been lacking in the dis- 
charge of the duties assigned to him. At this writing he is still a passenger 
conductor on the Big Four road and resides in a handsome residence on 
North Columbus street in Galion. He owns this property, together with 
other realty in the city, and there he is living, surrounded by the comforts 
and pleasures of life amid an affectionate family of noble children and grand- 
children to whom he is fondly attached. He is happy in the evening of life 
knowing that he has provided well for his loved ones. In October, 1873, he 
took up his abode in Galion, where he has lived ever since. In religious 
faith the family are Lutherans and in the church for many years past Mr. 
Taylor has held various offices at different times, ever giving his aid to church 
work with a willingness and cheerfulness commensurate with his means, and 
he was respected and highly esteemed by all who knew him. 

EBENEZER B. FINLEY. 

Ohio has always been distinguished for the high rank of her bench and 
bar. Perhaps none of the newer states can justly boast of abler jurists or at- 
torneys. Many of them have been men of national fame, and among those 
whose lives have been passed on a quieter plane there is scarcely a town or 
city in the state that can boast of one or more lawyers capable of crossing 
swords in forensic combat with many of the distinguished legal lights of the 
United States. While the growth and development of the state in the last half 
century has been most marvelous, viewed from any standpoint, yet of no one 
class of her citizenship has she greater reason for just pride than her judges 
and attorneys. In Judge Finley we find united many of the rare qualities 
which go to make up the successful lawyer and jurist. He possesses perhaps 
few of those brilliant, dazzling meteoric qualities which have sometimes flashed 
along the legal horizon, riveting the gaze and blinding the vision for the 
moment, then disappearing, leaving little or no trace behind, but rather has 
those solid and more substantial qualities which shine with a constant luster, 
shedding light in the dark places with steadiness and continuity. Mr. Finley 



276 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

possesses oratorical ability of high order and has in a manner secured that 
rare ability of saying in a convincing way the right thing at the right time. 
This has won him fame not only as a lawyer but as a lecturer, for he is widely 
known throughout the country by reason of his prominence as a speaker on 
historical and literary topics. 

A resident of Bucyrus, Mr. Finley has long been a recognized leader at 
the bar and in Democratic circles in Crawford county, and has won dis- 
tinction in the legislative halls of the nation. He was born in Orville, 
Wayne county. Ohio, July 31, 1833. and is still an active member of the 
legal profession. He was educated in the public schools, and, determining to 
make the practice of law his life work, after careful study and preparation 
was admitted to the bar in 1862. He then took up his abode in Bucyrus, 
where he has since made his home. He had scarcely entered upon his profes- 
sional career, however, before he offered his services to his country, assisted 
to raise a company as the Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and became 
first lieutenant of Company K, of said regiment, with which he served until 
wounded in the service and was honorably discharged. After being mustered 
out of the service he resumed the private practice of law and rose to a position 
of eminence in the profession. Along with those qualities, indispensable to 
the lawyer — a keen, rapid, logical mind, plus the business sense, and a ready 
capacity for hard work — our subject brought to the starting point o<f his legal 
career gifts — eloquence of language and a strong personality. An excellent 
presence, an earnest, dignified manner, marked strength of character, a thor- 
ough grasp of the law and the ability accurately to apply its principles are 
factors in Mr. Finley's effectiveness as an advocate. 

Mr. Finley is no less widely known in connection with political affairs. 
He has long' been one of the foremost men of his party in Crawford county, 
and in 1876 was elected to the forty-fifth congress from the fourteenth district, 
consisting of the counties of Crawford. Wyandot, Richland, Ashland and 
Holmes. He served so acceptably that in 1878 he was re-elected to the forty- 
eighth congress from the eighth district, comprising Crawford, Hardin, 
Marion, Morrow, Seneca and Wyandot counties. He made an excellent 
record in the national congress and acquitted himself brilliantly in debate. 
To every question that came up for consideration he gave earnest thought and 
attention, laboring untiringly for the measures which he believed would prove 
of general good. In 1884 he was made adjutant general of Ohio by Governor 
George Hadlev and brought militia to a high state of organization. In 1897 
he was elected circuit judge of the third circuit and displayed great ability in 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 277 

his judicial capacity. In 1896 he was elected as one of the delegates at large 
from Ohio to the national Demi icratic convention at Chicag< >, and took a 
prominent part as a leader in the convention, as chairman of one of the im- 
portant committees. His mind is analytical, logical and inductive. With a 
thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the fundamental principles of law 
he combines a familiarity with statutory law and a sober, clear judgment,, 
which makes him not only a formidable adversary in legal combat but has 
given him the distinction while on the bench of having few of his decisions re- 
vised or reversed. 

He attended all of the Democratic national conventions from 1876 until 
1896. He has long been prominent in the councils of his party in Ohio, and 
his opinions carry weight with Democratic leaders. For some years he was 
on the platform as a lecturer on historical and literary topics and was very 
successful in that line. His study and reading have been broad and com- 
prehensive, and he is a man of scholarly attainments and strong mentality, 
qualities which render him an entertaining and convincing speaker, while his 
oratorical ability of high order was always sure to please. 

ADAM G. LEDERER. 

Various business interests have claimed the attention of Mr. Lederer, and 
enterprise and energy have secured his advancement along the path of pros- 
perity. He is now a well known auctioneer and is also proprietor of a livery 
barn at Xew Washington. He was born in Cranberry township, December 
19, 1852, a son of Jacob and Magdalene (Donnenwirth) Lederer, both of 
whom were natives of German}-, the father born in Wurtemberg and the 
mother in Alsace, and came to America with their respective parents when 
about five years of age. The father of our subject was reared in Stark county, 
Ohio, and in his early manhood worked in a livery stable in Wooster, Ohio, 
for two or three years. He then came to Crawford county and entered from 
the government eighty acres of land a mile south and a mile west of Xew 
Washington. Not long afterward he was married, and upon the farm he 
made his home until his death. In subsequent years he added thirty-seven 
acres to his place, which then comprised one hundred and seventeen acres, and 
his labors and energy transformed it into a valuable and attractive farming 
property. As an auctioneer he won wide fame and cried all of the sales in 
this portion of the country in his day. He was a man of social nature, genial 
disposition and unflagging energy, and those qualities made him popular, 
15 



278 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

gaining for him man}- friends. Of the Lutheran church he was a most 
ardent and influential member and was largely instrumental in securing the 
erection of the house of worship in Xew Washington. He voted with the 
Democracy. His death occurred August 19, 1857, when he was only thirty- 
nine years and eleven months old. His wife was born in 1822, and after the 
death of her husband she cared for her family, residing upon the old home- 
stead until the earlv '80s. when she removed to Xew Washington, where she 
has since made her home with her daughter. Although she is now in her 
eightieth vear she retains possession of her faculties unimpaired and is a 
most highly esteemed old lady. Her father was George Donnenwirth, who 
belonged to one of the well known families of Crawford county. Mr. and 
Mrs. Lederer became the parents of five children, of whom the following are 
living: John F., who makes his home in Dundee, Michigan; Jacob, who is 
living on the old homestead in Cranberry township ; Adam G. ; and Odella, 
wife of Andrew. Cronenberger, of Xew Washington. 

Adam Lederer was reared on the home farm and his early education was 
acquired in the public schools, was supplemented by study in the Lexington 
Seminary and in the Fostoria high school. He met the expenses of his edu- 
cation by his own labor, and the resolute will which enabled him to secure this 
ntellectual advancement indicated the elemental strength of his character, 
which has been developed as the years have passed, making him a self-reliant 
and energetic man. When eighteen years of age he began work as a farm 
hand, and the money thus earned paid his tuition in the Lexington Seminary. 
When twenty years of age he began teaching, and after following that pro- 
fession for a year he continued his studies in the high school of Fostoria. 
For fifteen terms he followed the teacher's profession, and during twelve 
terms of the time was connected with the schools of X T ew Washington. In 
the summer season he and his brother Jacob engaged in farming" in partner- 
ship, and in 1878 they began breeding fine short-horn cattle, in which they 
gained a wide reputation by reason of their success and the splendid stock 
which they handled. In 1882 they established a livery business in New 
Washington, and with the exception of two periods of two and a half and 
three years Mr. Lederer, of this review, has since been connected with the 
enterprise. In 1895 he and his brother terminated their partnership. Three 
years previous our subject had purchased the grocery store of J. Bear and 
conducted the same for eighteen months. In connection with his livery busi- 
ness he is also well known as an auctioneer of Crawford county. He 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 279 

seems to have inherited his father's ability in this direction and has cried 
sales throughout this portion of the county. 

On the 8th of February, 1877, Mr. Lederer married Miss Ella A. 
Hartupee, a native of Mansfield, Ohio, and a daughter of Thomas Logan 
and Phebe O. (Patterson) Hartupee, her father born in Richland county. 
They now have two children and have lost three. The living are : Ora 
D., who possesses much talent in both vocal and instrumental music; and 
Estella. Mr. Lederer is independent in politics, supporting the men and 
measures that he thinks are best adapted to secure good government. He 
served for four years on the school board, for two years in the city council 
and was the first man to carry a petition for the building of pikes. In this 
matter he incurred the ill will of many men opposed to the pike system, but 
to-day they are among his best friends, for time has demonstrated the 
great value of good roads. Socially he is connected with Hyperion Lodge, 
No. 651, K. P. His worth is widely acknowledged, and wherever he is 
known he has gained many warm friends, who esteem him for his trust- 
worthiness and social qualities. 

FREDERICK WISMAN. 

Among the prosperous farmers of Bucyrus township is Frederick Wis- 
man, who owns and operates a large, well cultivated and finelv situated 
farm, consisting of one hundred and fort}- acres of fertile Crawford county 
land. 

The birth of Mr. Wisman was in this same township, on November 2, 
1833. His parents were Frederick and Elizabeth (Heinlen) Wisman, both 
natives of Wurtemberg, Germany, from which country they came when they 
were children. After their marriage in Pennsylvania, in 1828, they came 
and located in Crawford county, where the remainder of their lives were 
spent, the mother dying in 1843, the father surviving until 1867. By trade 
Mr. Wisman was a wagonmaker, but after locating in Ohio he pursued farm- 
ing. His life was an honest and industrious one, and both he and his wife 
lived and died enjoying the respect of all who knew them. 

Frederick Wisman was one of nine children •born to his parents, and he 
was reared on the farm, thus becoming' well prepared for the active duties of 
an agriculturist. His education was in the schools of his neighborhood. In 
1 86 1 he married Malissa Aumiller, and then left the parental roof to set up 
his own home. For a time the young couple lived on a farm located just 



28o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

west of his birthplace, but later removed to Holmes township. In 1864 Mr. 
VVisman moved to the farm he now occupies, which consisted of eighty 
acres and belonged to his father. After the death of the latter Mr. Wis- 
man purchased this farm and has added to it until he now owns one hundred 
and forty acres, and in addition to this, he, in association with his son 
Charles E., owns a tract comprising ninety acres. In 1874 Mr. VVisman 
built his fine, brick residence and has made many improvements of a sub- 
stantial character which not only add to the attractive appearance of the 
place but materially to its value also. One feature of Mr. Wisman's business 
is the raising of great numbers of sheep. 

The three children of Mr. Wisman are all comfortably settled in life, 
in Crawford county, Alfred E., being a successful farmer in Holmes town- 
ship; Emma Alice, the wife of Joseph Starner, lives in Todd township; and 
Charles E. is a farmer with his father. Mr. Wisman is identified with the 
Democratic party, and is generally regarded as one of the leading citizens 
of Bucyrus township. 

JAMES O. HOLLAND. 

Among the prominent agriculturists of Bucyrus township, James O. 
Holland takes a leading position, both as a successful farmer and as a veteran 
of the Civil war. His birth was in Mahoning county, Ohio, on December 
20, 1841. His parents, Nehemiah and Lucinda (Bentley) Holland, were 
married on August 13, 1836, and resided for several years in Mahoning 
county, later removing to Hancock county, Ohio, where the father died July 
3, 1847, at the age of forty-eight years. The children born to him and wife 
were: William C, who resides in Marshall county, Indiana; John A., who 
resides in the same count)-; Chauncy F., who is deceased; James O., who is 
the subject of this biography; Richard M., who has passed away; and Austin, 
who is a resident of Crawford county. The widow of Mr. Holland married, 
on December 31, 1849, James Reid, by whom she had three children: Nancy 
L. ; Alfred C. ; and Esther M., deceased. The mother outlived her second 
husband, surviving until 1802, when she passed away at the age of seventy- 
two years. 

lames O. Holland was between six and seven years of a.ge when his 
father died, and remained with his mother only until he had reached his 
tenth year. Then he began the struggle of life for himself, beginning by 
working a t odd jobs for those who would employ him, principally farmers of 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 2S 1 

his neighborhood. His educational advantages were thus limited. At the 
age of sixteen, with commendable forethought, he decided to learn a trade, 
•selecting that of carpenter, and remained employed at it for three years. 

The Civil war, breaking out just at this time, found in Air. Holland a 
patriotic young soldier. On August 22, 1861, he enlisted in Company B, 
Twenty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and participated in twenty-two battles 
and skirmishes, including Stone River, Chickamauga, Jonesboro, Atlanta, 
and those of Sherman's "march to the sea." Mr. Holland did not escape all 
the dangers of war, as at Nolansville, North Carolina, he was taken prisoner, 
but after fourteen days was paroled and sent back to the Union lines. After 
a faithful service he was mustered out at Columbus, June 20, 1865. 

Air. Holland married the year following his return from the army, the 
ceremony taking place on October 10, 1866, to Miss Ellen Starner, and he and 
wife removed to Nevada, Ohio, where he followed his trade for several years, 
but later engaged in farming in Bucyrus township. In 1882 he removed to 
his present fine farm, on section 22, in this township. 

In politics Mr. Holland is a stanch Republican, and is a man interested 
deeply in the success of his country in all public affairs. George W. Holland, 
his only son, born October 4, 1870, assists in the conduct of the farm. 

GEORGE W. STARNER. 

The late George W. Starner was a good citizen and a prosperous farmer 
-of Crawford county, and was born November 12, 1812, and was a native of 
Monroe county, Pennsylvania. His lamented death occurred April 6, 1887. 
"He was a son of George M. and Katie M. ( Van Vleet) Starner. His youth 
Avas spent upon the farm and received limited schooling, as the facilities were 
wanting in those early days. The school-house was a log structure and the 
instruction correspondingly crude. 

On July 12, 1835, Mr. Starner was united in marriage to Susan Stiff, of 
Monroe county at that time, but her birth took place in Sussex county, New 
Jersev, July 20, 1810, she having removed to Monroe county when fourteen 
years of age. To this marriage these children were born : Elizabeth, who 
-married Jacob Yeagley ; Ellen, who married James O. Holland ; Harriet, who 
married John Dobbins; and William. 

Air. Starner removed to Ohio in the month of September, 1832, coming 
in a two-horse wagon, making the trip in four weeks, and settling in Perry 
•county. For six vears the family resided there on a farm. In 1843 the 



282 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

family removed to Crawford county and located in Bucyrus township. Air. 
Starner soon became well known through the township as a very reliable 
man and good citizen. He voted with the Republican party and passed 
away regretted by a large circle of friends. His widow died July 3, 1901, 
being almost ninety-one years of age. The last thirteen years of her life, 
were spent in the home of her daughter, Mrs. James O. Holland. 

JOHN W. CUPP. 

In the history of the men and forces that have contributed to the growth 
and success of the Republican party in Ohio reference must be made to Mr. 
Cupp, and the journal company of which he is secretary and general manager. 
The paper has ever been an advocate of Republican principles, its columns 
championing the measures of the party setting forth strong arguments in 
favor of its planks and policy, and laboring for its progress and rejoicing in 
its victories. But not alone along this line has Mr. Cupp been connected with 
the public interest of Galion and Crawford county. At the present time he 
is postmaster of the city, having been appointed to the position by President 
McKinley in 1898. In the office he has given entire satisfaction to its pa- 
trons, his administration of its affairs being business-like, prompt and reliable. 

A native of Sandusky county, Ohio, Mr. Cupp was born November 20, 
1864, a son of Philip and Eliza Heter Cupp. His paternal grandfather came 
from Alsace-Lorraine, at that time a province of France but later of Ger- 
many. He landed at Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife, but in a short time- 
the young couple went into the then wilderness of Ohio, settling in what is 
now Thompson township, Seneca county. There they made a home and 
raised a large family, and there Philip Cupp, the father of the subject of this 
sketch, was born and reared. In early manhood, shortly after marriage, he 
removed to Bellevue and from that time until his death, April 17, 190.1, in 
the sixty-fourth year of his age, he was identified with the business interests 
of that town. He was married to Eliza Heter, daughter of John and Salome 
Freese Heter, and five children were born to them: Mrs. Addie Higbee, 
Emma, deceased, Charles V., John W. and Otis P. 

John Heter, the maternal grandfather of the subject of our sketch, was 
the fifth of this name of whom any record is had, the first coming from 
Bavaria, Germany, and landing at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1735. 
John, fifth, was born in Berks county, that state, in 1794, and was a soldier 
of the war of 181 2. under Captain Warr Middlesworth and General Smythe,, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 283. 

of Virginia, serving at Black Rock on the Niagara river. He came to Ohio 
in 1825, settling first in Wayne county, but two years later removing to 
Seneca county, where he acquired eighteen eighty-acre tracts of land, some 
of the original deeds signed by John Ouincy Adams still being held in the 
family. 

John Wesley Cupp acquired his education in the public schools at Belle- 
vne, Ohio, supplementing his knowledge gained there by the learning which 
he acquired in a newspaper office. He became connected with the "art 
preservative of arts" at the age of seventeen years and mastered the business 
in every department, working on the Bellevue News. After learning the 
trade in that office he became editor of the paper, which he conducted success- 
fully for two years. On the expiration of that period he went to St. Paul, 
Minnesota, where he engaged in the job printing business, but later returned 
to Bellevue and became a partner in the Gazette, being one of the owners of 
that journal until 1892, when he removed to Gabon. Here he organized 
a stock company and purchased the Sun-Review of the assignee and changed 
it from a weekly to a semi-weekly journal in 1894. In 1896 his company 
also became the owner of the Leader. The Sun-Review Printing Company 
was organized, with Mr. Cupp as secretary and manager. The company 
does a general printing, publishing and binding business, and under the new 
control both papers have increased rapidly in circulation. The enterprise is 
a successful one, and the trade enjoyed in their line is large and profitable. 
The office is well equipped with the latest improved machinery, and the 
paper, while advocating the interests of the Republican party, is also devoted 
to the publication of local, general and miscellaneous news and treats in a 
fair and unprejudiced manner the questions of the day. It supports local 
enterprises calculated to prove of public benefit and stanchly upholds the 
banner of Republicanism. 

Mr. Cupp has ever been an advocate of the grand old party, and his 
labors in its behalf have been effective and enduring. He has served on the 
county executive committee, being - a member thereof from 1892 until 1898, 
when he resigned, having been appointed to the position of postmaster of 
Gabon. This honor was conferred upon him by President McKinley, and it 
is needless to say that the trusts reposed in him have never been betrayed 
ever in the slightest degree. He carefully looks after the business of the 
office, which is performed in a prompt manner, and its patrons have expressed 
the highest satisfaction with his administration. 

May 25, 1893, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Cupp and Miss Emma 



28 4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Wood, of Bellevue, daughter of Mrs. Elizabeth McElhenny Wood, widow 
of Henry Wood. Her father was a stock-raiser and dealer, and served his 
country in the Union army, retiring" at the end of the war with the rank of 
lieutenant. His father was Bourdette Wood, one of the largest land-own- 
ers in northern Ohio. The marriage of our subject and wife has been blessed 
with one son, Robert Otis, born July 25, 1895. ^ ir - Cupp is identified with 
the Knights of Pythias fraternity, with the Masonic Order and with the 
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is charitable and tolerant, 
though positive in his convictions and aggressive in defending them, and he 
enjoys the confidence and esteem of all who know him. 

SAMUEL J. KIBLER. 

Prominent among the business men of New Washington who for eight 
years has been closely identified with the history of the city as a representa- 
tive of one of its most important business interests is Samuel Jefferson 
Kibler. who is a man of keen discrimination and sound judgment, and his 
executive ability and excellent management have brought to the concern with 
which he is connected a large degree of success. The safe, conservative 
policy which he inaugurated commends itself to the judgment of all, and he 
secured to the company a patronage which makes the volume of trade trans- 
acted over its counters of great importance and magnitude. The firm of 
Kibler Brothers has enjoyed a reputation for reliability that is known in all 
sections of the country in which their dealings are extended. 

Samuel J. Kibler of this review was born in New Washington, on the 
9th of March, 185 1, and is a son of Matthias and Frederica (Pfahler) 
Kibler. As the name indicates, the family is of German origin. The father 
of our subject was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, June 11, 1822, and was 
the youngest of the eight children born unto John and Maria Kibler. In 
1829, when a child of only seven vears, he came with his parents to the 
United States, locating in Trumbull county, Ohio, where he was reared to 
manhood, working on the farm and on the canal. As he found opportunity 
he attended school, and being of a studious nature he acquired a good 
common-school education, so that at the age of sevent/en he was qualified 
to teach in the neighboring schools. In 1841, in company with his brother, 
Christian Kibler, he came to Cranberry township, Crawford county, the 
brother purchasing a tannery on the farm now owned by Abraham McNutt 
and after some months spent in the employ of his brother, our subject pur- 





<^£&>^?y£t<*r /^C-i^^ 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 287 

chased an interest in the business. In the winter of 1844-5, shortly after 
the death of Christian Kibler, the tannery was burned to the ground and in 
the spring of the latter year Matthias Kibler removed to- New Washington, 
where he purchased of Robert Robinson a small tannery which had been 
established in 1834. This Mr. Kibler rebuilt, increasing its facilities and 
enlarging its capacity as the demand warranted. He also improved upon the 
quality of his goods until the output of his tannery was not only equal in 
kind to any other but often commanded the highest market price. Mr. 
Kibler was one of the leading and influential men in the upbuilding' of the 
village of Xew Washington and in securing for the town a sober and intelli- 
gent class of citizens. His interest in educational affairs led him to take 
an active part in the work of improving the school facilities of the town 
and it was greatly due to his influence that the citizens were aroused from 
their lethargy in educational matters and erected commodious and com- 
fortable log schoolhouses in the town and in neighboring school districts. 
He served in many of the town offices and co-operated heartily in the 
movement to secure the division of the township into school districts — eight 
in number. He was largely instrumental in the work of inducing- the 
citizens to furnish their children with ample school privileges and was a 
contributor of time, effort and money toward the promotion of any movement 
calculated to prove for the general good. At the time he located in New 
Washington he purchased a tract of land adjoining the town and in subse- 
quent years he laid out an addition to the original village, one of the principal 
streets of the city now bearing his name. He was justice of the peace for 
some twenty-five years, and was the first mayor of New Washington and 
was acting in that capacity at the time of his demise, Sept. 23, 1876. 
His political support was given the Democracy and in religious faith he was 
a Lutheran and did much for the progress of the church. His death proved 
a serious loss to the town, owing to his splendid business ability and his 
aggressive labors in behalf of every measure for the general welfare. His 
wife died September 28, 1900. They were the parents of eight children : 
Maria, deceased. Samuel J., Franklin P., deceased, James M., Lovina, John 
W., Caroline, deceased, and Louisa M. 

The majority of men who accomplish most in life are self-made men, — 
the men who are taught the value of industry and perseverance in youth 
and who exemplify those lessons in the work of life as the years progress. 
Mr. Kibler of this sketch pursued his education in the common schools of 
New Washington and in his boyhood days he worked in the tan yard with 



288 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

his father. In 1873 he purchased an interest in the business and soon after 
assumed the entire management of the enterprise, owing to his father's ill 
health. In 1876 his father died and Air. Kibler continued to manage the 
business with his mother as a partner until some time in 1881, when she 
sold her interest to her son John Wesley, and the business has since been 
continued under the firm name of Kibler Brothers. Soon after his entrance 
into the firm our subject began dealing in hides on a small scale, but 
constantly his efforts in this line increased in magnitude and early in the 
'90s the brothers gave up their tanning business in order to devote their 
entire time and attention to their rapidly growing trade as dealers in hides. 
About 1895 they purchased the C. C. Keech Company's hide business in 
Sandusky City. This was at one time one of the largest fur houses in the 
northwest, and they now conduct it as a branch house of their business in 
Xew Washington. Their trade has rapidly increased both in volume and 
importance until they are now among the largest dealers in raw hides and 
tallow in the entire country. They purchase almost all of the hides in Ohio, 
Indiana and Michigan and almost the entire amount sent to Cleveland. It 
requires splendid executive ability and skill as a manager to control such 
extensive interests, but the partners are well qualified and ably direct the 
important concern with which they are associated. 

In April, 1875, Samuel J. Kibler was united in marriage to Miss 
Elizabeth Herr, a native of Crawford county and a daughter of George 
Herr, who for many years was a prominent farmer of Seneca county, but 
died in Xew Washington in January, 1892, having removed to the town 
in the previous December. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kibler have been born seven 
children, of whom six are now living: Alfred G., who married Miss 
Mildred Donnenwirth and is engaged in traveling for his father; Clara O., 
at home; Milton M., who is attending the Tri-State Business College, of 
Toledo; Aaron Sylvester, who is a graduate of the Xew Washington high 
school; Ida P., who is attending the high school; and Florence E., who is 
also a student. 

In his political affiliations Air. Kibler is a Democrat and, like his father, 
he is a firm believer in the cause of education, for which he has done active 
work while acting on the school board for fifteen consecutive years. For 
ten or more years he was president of the board and was untiring in his 
efforts to advance the best educational interests of the town. He was 
serving on the board at the time the present school building was erected, 
a structure that stands as a monument to the intelligence and enterprising 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 289 

efforts of the board and citizens. For three or four terms after his father's 
death Mr. Kibler served as township treasurer, becoming his father's succes- 
sor. He lias also been a member of the town council. He belongs to the 
Lutheran church and was a member of the building- committee that erected 
the present handsome church edifice, one of the finest in the country to be 
found in a village of this size. He has served for many years as trustee 
and deacon in the church and withholds his co-operation from no measure 
intended for the general good. Wherever he is found he is a social, affable, 
genial gentleman whose friends are legion and all honor and esteem him for 
his many virtues and genuine worth. His record is one of which he may 
justly be proud. Success is not measured by the heights which one may 
occupy, but by the distance between the starting point and the altitude he 
has reached ; therefore Air. Kibler has gained a most brilliant success, — a 
just reward of meritorious, honorable effort, which commands the respect 
and admiration of all. 

GEORGE W. HEINLE. 

Prominent among the successful farmer residents of Bucyrus township, 
who is known and esteemed as one of the industrious and upright citizens, 
is George W. Heinle, whose birth was in this township, on what is now 
known as the Ben Sinn farm, on February 18, 1845. His parents were John 
G. and Maria (Leitzy) Heinle, both of whom were born in Wurtembery, Ger- 
many, but were married in America, having come to this country on the 
same vessel. The father was accompanied by his brother, Mathias Heinle, 
and the mother came with her parents, who settled about one mile north 
of Bucyrus, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Both of the 
parents of our subject were about eighteen years old, and the friendship 
formed on board the ship continued for three years, by which time Air. Heinle 
had become established, and then they were married, settling first in Bucyrus 
township, but soon after purchased land in Holmes township, where they 
ever after lived. The mother died in 1897, aged seventy-five years, and the 
father survived until 1899. when he was eighty-one. Their eight children 
were: Eliza, Francis, George W., Catherine, Mary Ann, John M., Philip and 
Joseph, all of whom survive. Although Mr. Heinle had but one dollar when 
he landed in America, he accumulated a fair estate, by the exercise of in- 
dustry and economy, and was well known as one o<f the pioneers who did his 
full share toward the development of the resources of Crawford county. Air. 
Heinle was present at the land sale, when the Indians disposed of a vast tract 



290 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

■ of land in the northwestern portion of the county. He could relate many very 
interesting tales of the Indians, who were still numerous when he settled in 
the county. Both he and wife were consistent and worthy members of the 
German Lutheran church and were universally respected by all who knew 
them, and reared a family which has reflected credit, not only upon them, but 
also on the community. All were reared on the farm, were given a common- 
school education and taught in the household those principles of honesty and 
industry which have been useful in their lives until the present day. 

George W. Heinle remained at home until he was twenty-six years old, 
marrying at that age, and then settled down as a farmer, passing the first 
five years in Holmes township, and then moving to Bucyrus township, where 
he has since remained. His business in life has always been that of a farmer 
and stock-raiser and his industrious efforts have been amply rewarded. He 
now owns a fine, well-improved farm of one hundred and forty-three acres 
and is able to enjoy all of the comforts of life. 

The marriage of Mr. Heinle was to Matilda Zimmerman, a daughter 
of Martin Zimmerman, a pioneer of Crawford county, coming here from his 
native place, Wurtemberg, Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Heinle have three chil- 
dren : Susan, Amos and James. Susan married William Traxler, a farmer 
of Bucyrus township, and Amos married Blanch Mason, and is also a farmer 
in this township, both of them residing near enough to their parents to be 
able to enjoy their companionship. 

Mr. and Mrs. Heinle are consistent members of the German Lutheran 
•church and are among the most respected residents of the county. In pol- 
itics Mr. Heinle has always supported the men and measures of the Demo- 
cratic party, but has never been an office-seeker. All his life he has been 
frugal and industrious and has honestly earned the comfort which now is his. 

REV. GEORGE MATHER. 

Rev. George Mather is one who has had signal influences in Galion. 
where, as a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, he has labored 
among the people f< r many years. There often seems a barrier between 
the representatives of the ministry and the men in business life, but this is 
not so in the case of Mr. Mather. He is in close touch with the people, 
has their confidence and regard in an unusual degree and enjoys the warm 
friendship of many of the residents of this city in all walks of life. He is 
a native of England, his birth having occurred in Derbyshire, on the 17th of 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 291 

February, 1832. His grandfather lived to be ninety-six years of age and 
was never ill. For seventy-six years he was a member of one church. His 
son, the father of our subject, was a well known resident of his locality in 
England, where he had charge of railways and mines. In his native land 
our subject was educated as a civil engineer, after which he was employed in 
Cambridgeshire and North Wales on the Cambridge & Newmarket and 
the Chester & Flolyhead Railroads. After coming to the United States he 
spent two years as civil engineer in southern Ohio, in the employ of what 
is now the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company. His education was com- 
pleted in the Ohio YVesleyan University, at Delaware, Ohio, with the class 
of 1858, and for the four succeeding vears he was professor of natural 
science and mathematics in the female department of that institution. On 
the expiration of that period he began regular ministerial work, but previous 
to this time had engaged in the preaching of the gospel, entering the min- 
istry at the age of twenty-six years, as a member of the Central Ohio 
Conference. Fie has served as presiding elder of the Cleveland district for 
one term and of the Wooster district for one term, and in his church work 
he has met with excellent results, witnessing a wonderful growth in Meth- 
odism in this state and taking a very active part in promoting the labors 
of his denomination. In 1881 he came to Bucyrus, as pastor of the Methodist 
church of this city, remaining there through the full term of three years. 
In 1886 he was appointed to the church in Galion, where he also remained 
for three years, and in 1899 he took up his permanent abode in Galion, for 
his health does not now permit him to engage in active ministerial work. 
His influence and efforts have been far-reaching and beneficial. He took up 
his work with zeal and energy, and in the pulpit his words of wisdom and 
strength, supplemented by eloquence born of the theme and of the occasion, 
left their impress upon the minds of his hearers, and in a way this has 
produced much rich fruit. 

In 1875 Rev. Mather was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Neal, a 
native of Knox county. Ohio, born near Fredericktown, and a daughter of 
the Rev. Thomas Neal, who was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church 
and died many years ago. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Mather have been born 
two children, — Arthur, who is now a lawyer in Seattle, Washington, and 
Mary, who is successfully engaged in teaching" in the schools of Galion. 

Mr. Mather yet actively performs his work as a local member of the 
church, and is a public spirited citizen who is deeply interested in everything 
pertaining to the progress and welfare of his community. He does not 



2 9 2 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

belong to that class of ministers who, somewhat narrow-minded, feel that 
they have naught to do with the practical and active interests concerning 
political life and the duties of citizenship. With a full realization that this 
life is a preparation for the one to come he believes in performing- each duty 
dav by day and joining forces with the work of progress and improvement 
in all lines. He was elected mayor of Galion April i, 1901. His high 
character and honorable purpose win him the good will and confidence 
of all with whom he is associated, and wherever known his influence is felt 
on the side of all that is right, true and beneficial. 

WILLIAM ARBUCKLE. 

William Arbuckle, a successful farmer, who for many years has car- 
ried on agricultural pursuits in Crawford county, makes his home on sec- 
tions 15 and 16, Bucyrus township. He was born in Juniata county, Penn- 
sylvania, on the 5th of September, 1832, a son of John and Isabella (Innis) 
Arbuckle, who were also natives of the same county. The father was of 
Irish lineage and the mother was of both Irish and Scotch descent. Will- 
iam Arbuckle, the paternal grandfather, was likewise a native of the Key- 
stone state and there followed the occupation of farming. In the state of 
their nativity the parents of our subject were married and then took up their 
abode on a farm, where were born unto them three children, one of whom 
died in infancy, the others being William and James. The last named died 
in Marion county, Ohio, in 1874. The mother passed away in Pennsylvania, 
in 1 85 1, at the age of forty years, and in 1853 William Arbuckle came to 
Ohio, settling in Marion county. The following year he and his father re- 
moved to Macon county, Illinois, the father remaining in that state until 
1862, when he became a citizen of Bucyrus, which was his place of abode for 
four vears. On the expiration of that period he returned to Pennsylvania, 
where his death occurred about 1893, when he was eighty-six years of age. 
He was a second time married, Mary Dobbs becoming his wife. 

In the common schools, William Arbuckle of this review, pursued his 
education and in his early youth he worked on the home farm. Later he was 
emploved by others, but his father received his wages until he had attained his 
majority. For six years he was employed as a salesman in one store in Penn- 
sylvania. As before stated he came to Ohio in 1853 and for one year engaged 
in clerking in Marion county, after which he went to Illinois. For seven 
years he resided in Macon county, that state, and was there engaged in the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 293 

stock business, but in 1861 he returned to Marion county, where he again 
spent a \»ear handling stock. In the spring of 1861 he went to New York 
with a shipment of stock and was in that city when Fort Sumter was tired 
upon. 

In the spring of 1862, Mr. Arbuckle was united in marriage to Miss 
Susan Kerr, a daughter of James and Nancy (Towers) Kerr, of Crawford 
county, Ohio, and then took up his abode upon his present farm in Bucyrus 
township, where he has now lived for almost forty years. At first the farm 
comprised one hundred and thirty-five acres, given his wife by her father, and 
to this he has since added sixty acres; and his wife has a valuable farm of 
one Hundred and twenty acres in Whetstone township, Crawford county. 
He makes a specialty of sheep-raising and has large flocks of fine sheep. His 
farm is well improved with modern accessories, indicating his careful super- 
vision and progressive spirit, and the place is characterized by neatness and 
thrift. 

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Arbuckle has been blessed with six chil- 
dren : James Franklin, who is living in Cleveland; Elmer, who died when 
four years of age; Clara, the wife of William Price, of Bucyrus; William 
I., who was a railroad brakeman and was killed on the road November 28, 
1900, leaving a little daughter, Ethel, her mother, who bore the maiden name 
of Cora Sauer, being also deceased : Grace, the wife of Oscar S. Ouaintance, 
of Whetstone township; and John K., at home. The parents are members of 
the Christian church, and in his political views Mr. Arbuckle is a Democrat, 
but he never seeks or desires office, preferring to devote his time and energies 
to his business affairs, in which he is meeting with creditable and gratifying 
success. He started out in life on attaining his majority, having no capital 
to aid him in the commencement of his business career, but by close applica- 
tion, industry, economy and perseverance he has gradually increased his 
possessions until he is now numbered among the men of affluence in the com- 
munity. 

LOUIS K. REISINGER. 

This well-known and popular proprietor of a drug store in Gabon is 
also a representative of one of the old pioneer families of the city. He was 
born here, in 1852, and is a son of Dr. John S. Reisinger, one of the first 
practicing physicians of this locality. His paternal grandfather, Jacob Reis- 
inger, was a resident of Hanover. Pennsylvania, and married Susanna 



294 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Schultz. Among their children was Dr. Reisinger, who was born on the 
6th of October, 1811, in Hanover, Pennsylvania. He furthered his educa- 
tion in the Willoughby Medical College, in which he was graduated in 1845, 
and then continued the practice of medicine, to which he devoted his energies 
throughout his active business career. In 1832 he came to Galion, being one 
of the first physicians in the city. For thirty-four years he was a member 
of the medical fraternity here and throughout a long period was a leader in 
the line of his chosen calling. His patronage was extensive and of an im- 
portant character. He was also recognized as a leader of public thought 
and action. He was twice chosen to represent his district in the state legis- 
lature, serving from 1859 un til 1862, and he left the impress of his individ- 
uality upon the laws that were enacted during that period. He carefully 
considered each question which came up for discussion and his support was 
given or withheld from a measure after due reflection. He was one of the 
founders of the German Reformed church of Galion, took an active part in its 
work, was known as one of its leaders and long served as one of its trus- 
tees. He held membership in the State Medical Society, which he joined in 
1819, becoming one of its first representatives. He married Miss Sarah 
Ditzler, a daughter of Jacob Ditzler, of Hanover, Pennsylvania, the marriage 
being celebrated on the 13th of December, 1832. They became the parents 
of the following named children: Samuel D. Reisinger was a student in 
the Miami Medical College, of Cincinnati, in 1866, and was there taken ill 
with cholera. His father. Dr. Reisinger, went to that city in order to attend 
him and both the son and father died of the disease. The son was a member 
of the One Hundred and Ninety-first Regiment of the Ohio Volunteers in 
the Civil war, from 1863 to [865, serving as hospital steward. George Z., the 
third of the family, spent his entire life in Galion, where for a quarter of a 
century he was engaged in the hardware business. He died in this city in 
1900, at the age of fifty-three years. James P. died in July, 1900, at the 
age of fifty-one years, being at that time a resident of Kansas City, Missouri, 
where he was a prominent member of the stock exchange. Homer V. engaged 
in the practice of dentistry in Galion and died in 1886, at the age of thirty-three 
years. Sarah E. is the wife of James Leibert, of Pasadena, California; Louis 
K., of this review; and John, who died at the age of twelve years. 

In taking up the personal history of Louis K. Reisinger we .present to 
our readers the record of one who is widely and favorably known in the 
county. He pursued his education in the schools of Galion and then entered 
a drusr store, where he became familiar with the business. His connection 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 295 

with this line of trade dates from 1873. He opened a store of his own in 
1873 and has since conducted the enterprise with success, it proving very 
profitable to' him. He carries a large and well selected line of drugs and 
other commodities kept in a first-class establishment of that kind and his trade 
is constantly and steadily increasing, his business methods commending him 
to the confidence and patronage of the public. 

Air. Reisinger was united in marriage to Miss White, of Fremont, Ohio,, 
daughter of William B. and S. A. White. Her father served for four years 
in the Civil war. Their marriage has been blessed with three daughters and n 
son, namely : Estella. who graduated in the high school of Galion and is 
now the wife of E. R. Lovett, of Delaware, Ohio; Alice, who was also 
graduated in the high school; Rollin Ditzler, who completed the high school 
course and is now associated with his father in business; and Ethel, who is 
one of the graduates of the Galion high school. The family attend the Pres- 
byterian church, in which Air. Reisinger holds membership. He is a Demo- 
crat in his political affiliations, and socially he is a prominent Mason, be- 
longing to the blue lodge and t< 1 the So ittish rite, in which he has attained the 
thirty-second degree. He is also a member of the Mystic Shrine and the 
Knights of Pythias fraternity. The cause of education finds in him a warm 
friend and for fifteen consecutive years he has been a member of the school 
board, having acted as its secretary since 1900. He is interested in everything 
pertaining to the welfare of his city and his labors have been of benefit to the 
public along many lines. 

REUBEX STAHLEY. 

Reuben Stanley is now living in Crestline. He was for many years an 
active factor in public affairs and his official career is without blemish, for 
he discharged his duties in a manner at once prompt, capable and trustworthy. 
He was born in Stark county, Ohio, January 25, 1852. and is descended from 
Revolutionary stock. His paternal great-grandfather, a native of Lancaster 
county, Pennsylvania, was proprietor of a hotel, which he was conducting 
at the time the Revolutionary war was inaugurated. The spirit of inde- 
pendence burned strong within him, and when the colonies attempted to 
throw off the yoke of British tyranny he joined the Pennsylvania troops and 
served throughout the conflict. He was with Washington in the memorable 
winter at Valley Forge, where the army suffered untold hardships, but at the 
same time manifested the spirit of resolution, which was the potent factor in 

16 



296 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

winning independence for the country. When victory had crowned the 
army Mr. Stahley returned to his Pennsylvania home, and in connection with 
general farming he conducted a hotel, remaining in Pennsylvania until his 
demise. His son, the grandfather of our suhject, was born in Lancaster 
county, that state, and was a clock-maker by trade. He removed to Stark 
count}-. Ohio, at an early period in the development of that section of the 
state and was there engaged in the manufacture of clocks, building up a 
good trade. His death occurred when he had attained the venerable age of 
eighty-three years. 

Jacob Stahley, the father of our subject, was born in Lancaster count}', 
Pennsylvania, in 1815, and in early life learned the tailor's trade, which he 
followed through many years. In 1840 he became a resident of Stark county, 
Ohio, where he conducted a tannery until his removal to Crawford county, 
making the journey on one of the first trains that ran over the Pennsyl- 
vania road. In Crestline he opened its first clothing and tailoring shop 
and received a liberal patronage from the best class of citizens, his large 
and constantly increasing business gaining for him a good income. He was 
also a leader in public thought and action and his opinions carried weight 
among his friends and neighbors, who, recognizing his ability, called him 
to public office. For two terms he served as mayor of the city, and his ad- 
ministration was practical, business-like and progressive. He exercised his 
1 official prerogatives in support of all measures for the general good and in- 
troduced many needed reforms and improvements. He was a member of the 
board of education and was one of the promoters of the movement which 
led to the erection of the west school building. He continued to make his 
home in Crestline until his death, which occurred in 1873. In early man- 
hood he married Rebecca Moser, a native of Pennsylvania, who was born in 
Berks county, near Reading, whose father was a near relative of Governor 
Heister, of the Keystone state. Mrs. Stahley's mother, who bore the maiden 
name of Catherine Ludwig, was also born in Pennsylvania, but spent her last 
days in Crawford county. 

In taking up the personal history of Reuben Stahley we present to our 
readers the life history of one who is widely and favorably known and whose 
upright character has commended him to the confidence and good will of all 
with whom he has been associated. In his boyhood he came to Crawford 
ci mnty and has since been a resident of Crestline. In the public schools here 
he acquired his primary education, but completed it by a course in the Ohio 
University, at Delaware, after which he returned to his home and took up 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 297 

the practical duties of a business career. For fifteen years he was employed 
by the American Express company at this place and was a trusted representa- 
tive of that corporation. For four years he was postmaster of the city and 
for six years he filled the office of county auditor, discharging his duties in a 
manner that enabled him to retire from the office as he had entered it, with 
the confidence and good will of all. For twelve years he was a member of 
the school board and for some time served as its president, the cause of edu- 
cation finding in him a warm friend, who had strict regard for the best 
interests of the schools, and is at present serving as one of its directors. 
He was also a member of the county board of school examiners for nine years, 
and his political support has ever been given to the Democracy, his labors in 
its behalf being efficient and valuable. 

JACOB LUST. 

The farming interests of a country are apt to have great influence in 
determining the position that country occupies in the world. In a like degree 
such is the case with a county, and Crawford county, Ohio, is most fortunate 
an having its agricultural affairs so well looked after. Among those of this 
county who have become well and, favorably known as excellent farmers 
able to bring from the soil an abundant harvest, is Jacob Lust, one of the 
progressive and successful citizens of Holmes township. The birth of Jacob 
Lust was in Lykens township, in this county, on March 17, 1855, a son of 
David and Catherine (Yeiter) Lust, and he was one of a family of ten chil- 
dren, all of whom still survive. These are: Jacob; Elizabeth, the wife of 
William Heiber, of Liberty township ; Simon, of Liberty township ; Mary, 
the wife of Philip Cook, of Whetstone township ; Noah, of Whetstone town- 
ship; Sarah, the wife of William Hayden, of Mount Gilead, Ohio; Lydia, 
the wife of Isaac Stump, of Lykens township; Wesley, of Holmes township; 
Abe, of Holmes township; and Amos, of Lykens township. 

David Lust, the father of our subject, was born in Marion county, Ohio, 
in 1829, his parents dying when he was still an infant. He was taken by 
his uncle, Conrad Lust, and was reared through his boyhood by him, earn- 
ing his own way by working for his relatives. In 1832 the family came to 
Crawford county, settling in Chatfield township, and here David grew up to 
manhood and later married a most estimable lady. A tract of Indiana land 
had been left him, from his parents, and this he exchanged for one hundred 
and sixty acres, which comprises his farm in Lykens township. Flere he set- 



298 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

tied and has long been one of the successful farmers of the locality. At one 
time he owned rive hundred and six acres, but has recently disposed of one 
hundred and four acres. His political sympathies make him a Democrat. 
For a great many years he has been a consistent member of the Methodist 
church, in which he held office for a lengthened period. 

Jacob Lust grew up in his comfortable and happy home and obtained 
his education in the public schools. In 1880 he was married to Miss Amanda 
Brown, a native of this township, who was born on the farm where the 
family now resides. After marriage Mr. Lust began domestic life on one 
of his father's farms, of one hundred and sixty acres, in Liberty township, 
and operated it for three years on shares; but in 1884, in partnership with 
his father, he purchased eighty acres in Bucyrus township and Jacob re- 
moved to that farm, residing upon that place until about 1893, when he 
purchased of his brother-in-law, George W. Brown, one hundred and four- 
teen acres of his present home farm, which was a portion of the old Brown 
estate. In the spring of 1900 our subject bought an additional thirty-five 
acres, making his present farm one hundred and forty-nine acres. This is 
an estate of which any agriculturist might be proud, well improved and 
cultivated. 

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Lust numbered six, four of whom 
survive. Of those deceased, one died in infancy and Effie May died at the 
age of fifteen years. The others are: Lavern J. D., Leroy L., Leara E. and 
Gordon R. 

The political belief of Mr. Lust retains him in the Democratic party and 
he has considerable influence through the township. He takes an active in- 
terest in educational matters, and for the past four years has acted as school 
director. In his immediate vicinity, where he is best known, he is most highly 
esteemed, and ranks as one of the representative men of Holmes township. 

JOHN ENGLISH. 

1 

John English has for thirty-eight years been a resident of Galion and 
is one of its most esteemed and worthy citizens. His father, Samuel English, 
was a native of Lancaster count}', Pennsylvania, born in the year 18 13, and 
on leaving the Keystone state took up his abode at Blooming Grove, Rich- 
land county, Ohio, about the year 1836. Here, in 1838, he was united in 
marriage to Miss Sarah Hall, who was a native of Richland count}-. Their 
union was blessed with the following children: William Henry, who was 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 299 

born in 1839 and was killed in a sawmill near Spencerville, in Van Wert 
county, Ohio, in July, 1870; John, of this review: Mary Ann, who was born 
in 1842 and is the wife of Robert Park, their home being new in the southern 
part of Crawford county ; Margaret Ann, wife of Freeman L. Corey, of Osce- 
ola county, Michigan ; Calista Jane, wife of Edward Panghorn, a resident of 
Leavittsburg, Ohio; Harry L., of Gabon ; Elizabeth, wife of Henry Boltz, a 
resident of Wood county, Ohio; Minerva, wife of Adelbert Farnsworth, who 
is living in Gabon; David Allen, of Fayetteville, Missouri; and Nelson Bar- 
nett, who is residing with his family at Akron, Ohio. Samuel English, at 
the age of forty-eight, enlisted in the Fuedeber Regiment, of Chicago, and 
in two months was discharged, and, returning to Gabon, he re-enlisted, in 
April. 1862, in Company K, Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and 
served three years, when he was honorably discharged. He and three sons 
all came home safe, excepting our subject, who was seriously wounded. 

John English was born in Johnsville, Morrow county, Ohio, on the 9th 
of April, 1840, and throughout his entire life has resided in the Buckeye 
state. He remained in Blooming Grove until he was ten years of age, and 
then accompanied his parents on their removal to what was known as the 
Adam Christman farm, four miles west of Gabon. There he aided in the 
work of held and meadow, performing his share in the labors of the old home- 
stead, and in response to the call of President Lincoln for troops for the 
defense of the Union, on the 1st of March, 1862, he enlisted as a member of 
Company D, Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry. At the battle of An- 
tietam, on the 17th of September of that year, he was seriously wounded in 
the leg and the following month the member was amputated. In conse- 
quence of this serious loss which he had sustained, he was unable to do active 
service and was honorably discharged on the 3d of March, 1863, and re- 
turned to his home. For ten years after the war he was in the employ of 
the Erie and Big Four Railroad Companies and for twelve years following 
his retirement from railway service he acted as notary public in Crawford 
count)'. At the present time he is engaged in the confectionery business in 
Gabon, where he has a large and well-selected stock, his store being neat and 
attractive in appearance. He is enjoying a liberal patronage and his business 
is constantly increasing. 

Mr. English has been twice married. In Gabon, on the 18th of No- 
vember, 1870, he married Miss Maria Noblet and unto them were born five 
children, but only one is now living, Anna May Burgener, now a resident of 
Gabon. After the death of his first wife Mr. English wedded Miss Mary C. 



300 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

'West, a daughter of Montreville West, who resided at Marsailles, Wyandot 
county, Ohio, where he died in the year 1857. For thirty-eight years he has 
been a continuous resident of Galion and is a citizen of sterling worth, who 
commands and enjoys the respect and confidence of his fellow men by reason 
of his fidelity to duty, and he is in the highest and best sense of the term 
a gentleman, courteous in manner and in his own home is considerate and 
hospitable. He made for his country a great sacrifice and therefore is en- 
titled to the everlasting gratitude of the nation for the part which he per- 
formed in preserving the Union. 

REUBEN O. MORGAN. 

Reuben O. Morgan is one of the native sons of Galion, his birth having 
occurred in this city on the 2d of September, 1873. His father, George 
Morgan, was born in Webster, Darke county, Ohio, and is now a resident 
of Bellefontaine, Ohio, being employed as a passenger engineer by the Big 
Four Railroad Company. In the city schools of Galion the subject of this re- 
view pursued his education until sixteen years of age, when he entered the 
service of the Big Four Railroad Company. After a year he was promoted 
to the position of telegraph operator and acted in that capacity until 1896,. 
when he resigned the office in order to engage in the coal business in Galion. 
He dealt in that commodity until 1898, when he was appointed superintendent 
of the Galion Gas Light Company, in which capacity he is still serving. Every 
business change which he has made has been a promotion, with increasing 
responsibility and increasing income. These attest the merit of the man and 
his advancement is a deserved tribute to his injierent worth. As the manager 
of the Galion Gas Light Company he has shown himself to be a man of su- 
perior executive force, keen discrimination and sound judgment, and the en- 
terprise is meeting with prosperity under his care. 

In 1895 Mr. [Morgan was joined in wedlock to Miss Grace Bryan, a 
native of Galion, and they now have a pleasant home in the city, which is 
celebrated for its charming and gracious hospitality. 

HERMAN HENRY FIARTMAN, M. D. 

In the subject of this review we have one who has attained distinction 
in the line of his profession. He has been an earnest and discriminating 
student, and he holds a position of due relative precedence among the medical 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 



301 



practitioners of this section of Ohio. He is now successfully practicing in 
Gahon, where he has a large and distinctively representative patronage. & 

The Doctor is a native of this city, his birth having here occurred in 
1869, Ins parents being A. H. and Catherine (Bohl) Hartman. For forty 
years the father has been engaged in business as a druggist of this city and 
is one of the most prominent representatives of commercial interests here. He 
is a native of Germany, whence, in early life, he came to America. His wife 
was born in Polk township, Crawford county, a daughter of Henry Bohl, 
one of the honored pioneers of that township, now deceased. He. too. was 
a native of the fatherland, and on coming to the new world cast in his lot 
with the early settlers of this portion of Ohio. The Doctor pursued his pre- 
liminary education in the common schools, and supplemented his studies there 
by a course in the Capital University, at Columbus. Determining to make 
the practice of medicine his life work, he began study in Columbus, and was 
graduated at the Columbus Medical College with the class of 1890. He after- 
ward pursued a post-graduate course in the polyclinic of New York, com- 
pleting his studies there in 1893. He then began practice in Jacksonville, 
Ohio, where he remained until 1896, when he returned to Gabon. He has 
been very successful in following his chosen calling, his success resulting 
from his skill and ability, his comprehensive knowledge of the principles of 
medical science and his correct methods in applying remedies to relieve the 
suffering of his fellow men. As the years have passed his patronage lias 
steadily increased in volume and importance, and he has kept in touch with 
the advanced thought and progress of the day. 

Dr. Hartman has always been quite prominent in public affairs. While 
residing in Jacksonville he was a candidate of the Democracy in 1895 for 
the office of representative in the state legislature. He was also elected 
mayor of Jacksonville, and was filling that position at the time of his re- 
moval to Galion, resigning in order to take up his abode in the latter city. 
He is now serving his second term as health officer of Galion, and since 1898 
he has been city physician. His political support has ever been given to the 
Democracy and he takes an active interest in its work, laboring untiringly 
and effectively for the adoption of its principles and the election of its can- 
didates. 

Dr. Hartman was united in marriage to Miss Effie L. Woodworth, of 
Athens county, Ohio, a daughter of C. Woodworth, a merchant, who is now 
deceased. Their marriage has been blessed with two interesting little daugh- 
ters,— Mary and Alma. The Doctor is connected with the German Lutheran 



302 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

■church. He and his wife enjoy the high regard of many friends in Galion, 
and the circle is constantly increasing as their acquaintance is widened. He 
is a gentleman of strong mentality, marked individuality and sterling worth, 
and his prominence in his chosen profession is a merited tribute to his inde- 
fatigahle labor and ability. 

STEPHEX R. HARRIS. 

Hon. Stephen R. Harris, who was born on his father's farm seven 
miles west of Massillon, Ohio. May 22, 1824, sprang from patriotic stock. 
His grandfather was John Harris and his paternal grandmother Mary 
Hamilton. The former was a soldier in the army of Washington and dis- 
tinguished himself at the battle of Monmouth, where his brother-in-law, 
John Hamilton, was killed beside him. 

The subject of this biography worked on the farm and attended district 
school until fourteen years of age, when he started out for himself. He 
was employed as a clerk in a store at Canal Fulton, Stark county, about 
four years, attended a select school at Dalton, taught by John W, Rankin, 
afterward a distinguished lawyer and a partner at Keokuk, Iowa, of the late 
Justice Miller, of the United States supreme court. In 1842 he was a student 
in the preparatory department of Washington College, Pennsylvania, which 
institution recently conferred upon him the honorary degree of Master of 
Arts. In 1843 an( l ! ^44 ne studied in Norwalk Seminary, under the late 
Edward Thomson, bishop of the Methodist Episcopal church. For the 
next two years he was a student in the classical department of the Western 
Reserve College, at Hudson. In the winter of 1846-7 he taught school at 
Canal Fulton. 

Having by this time acquired a liberal education through his own un- 
aided and persistent efforts, he entered upon the study of law in the office 
of his uncle, John Harris, a pioneer lawyer of ability, at Canton. After 
reading under instruction for two years he was admitted to the bar in the 
spring of 1849, an d on the 14th day of June of that year opened an office 
for practice at Bucyrus. From that time to the present, more than half a 
century, he has continued to practice at the same place. He became the law 
partner of the late Judge Josiah Scott in 1850. and the partnership was con- 
tinuous until the death of the latter in 1879, except for the period of Judge 
Scott's service on the state supreme bench. Mr. Harris served as deputy 
United States marshal and member of the county military committee during 





■1MSUL, 



(7&. /r&u^^Cd 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 305 

the war. He was elected, in 1894, to represent his district, which has been 
strongly Democratic, in the fifty-fourth congress of the United States, and 
was the candidate of his party for re-election in 1896, but the free-silver 
sentiment and fusion of the Populists were sufficiently strong to defeat the 
ticket. Mr. Harris has been a Republican ever since the organization of 
the party, and prior to that was a Whig. 

He has, however, given his chief thought to the duties of his profession, 
and has for years stood in the fore front of practitioners in Crawford county. 
His reading is deep and broad ; he is successful in the trial of cases, and 
remarkably successful in the argument of cases before the supreme court. 
It has become proverbial in the bar where he is well known that if Mr. 
Harris has the slightest ground for appeal or error to the higher courts 
his adversary may as well give up at once, because he nearly always wins in 
the appellate court. He holds the esteem of his brethren at the bar and the 
confidence of the courts. His methods are such as to commend themselves 
to the best and most respected members of the profession. He also stands 
well in the highest political circles, and his personal popularity rests upon 
merit. 

He was married September 15, 1853, to Miss Mary Jane Monett, who 
died in 1888, leaving two' sons and two daughters, offspring of the union. 

He has been very successful as a financier, and as a result is a man of 
large possessions. He is quite an extensive landed proprietor in the state 
of Ohio and Iowa. As an amateur sportsman he is a frequent contributor 
to the Turf, Field and Farm, and Forest and Stream. Now, over seventy- 
five years of age. he is an excellent shot on the wing, either in the open 
or from the trap. 

Mr. Harris was one of the original members of the State Bar Associa- 
tion, and has been an active member from the beginning, serving as president 
of the association in 1894. He is now chairman of the committee on legal 
biography. As a public speaker he is clear, logical and convincing, rather than 
eloquent. He entertains decided views on all question of political importance 
or popular interest. The following is an extract from his annual address 
delivered in 1894, before the Ohio State Bar Association, of which he was 
then president : 

STRIKES. 

"'Another topic I approach with diffidence, for the reason that no ex- 
pression has been uttered on the subject by our Association. What the 
views of our members here assembled may be are unknown to me, but I 



306 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

cannot refrain from expressing my own feelings and convictions, whether 
they be acceptable to this Association or not. I allude to the growing state 
of anarchy to which our beloved republic is rapidly drifting under the un- 
checked growth of communism, which takes the specious form and name of so- 
called strikes. Thousands upon thousands of laborers have had ample em- 
ployment with good living wages, on the railroads, in the mines and manu- 
facturing establishments of our country. On the other hand there are triple the 
number of honest laborers in miscellaneous pursuits, uncertain in their nature, 
liable to fluctuate in wages and of uncertain duration, such as the common 
day laborer. The latter class may well envy the miner, the railroader and the 
factory hand. They would gladly change places for the same wages, but what 
state of things confront them? They are met and repulsed by strikers, who 
voluntarily go out themselves and refuse to permit the other laborers to take 
their places. 

"Here we see the work of the seditious demagogues with political aspira- 
tions and a burning desire for notoriety. With incendiary eloquence they 
seek to embitter labor against capital, when they well know that labor and 
capital are mutually dependent on each other. They tell the laborers, who 
are the strongest numerically, that they are abused and oppressed by their 
employers, at times when the laborers are well compensated and contented. 
They incite discontent and resentments where none existed before. They 
arouse the dormant passions and cupidity of the laborer. They frame and 
formulate organizations and societies for them, and incite them to strike down 
and ruin their benefactors. They dupe their followers with the doctrine that 
capitalists and corporations are powerful and oppressive, but fail to tell the 
other truth that a host of hostile and unreasonable laborers are also oppressive 
and dangerous. The result is that they have prevented the running of railroad 
trains, the}- have tied the hands of property owners, they have closed factories 
and they have shut up coal mines on which private families, factories, railroads 
and steamers on our navigable waters depend for fuel. They have impeded the 
carrying of mails and have inflicted untold injury, either directly or indirectly, 
upon every business pursuit. 

"For the vacant position of every striker there are three equally honest 
laborers with families in need of their earnings, who are ready and willing 
to go to work, but the horde of strikers, under the instructions of designing 
leaders, sullenly and forcibly repulse every non-union laborer who ventures to 
-tart the train, to open the mine or set the idle machinery to running in the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 307 

factory, and that to the extent of assassination, if necessary, to carry the 
point. There can be a tyranny of labor as well as a tyranny of capital. 

"Suppose a change of places. Imagine an employer who would discharge 
a laborer and at the same time say to him, T will neither give you employment 
nor permit you to work for anybody else.' The same designing and insidious 
leader who first inaugurated a strike would be ready to turn around and incite 
the rich against the poor, if he could thereby obtain political power and 
notoriety. A demagogue in a republic and a courtier in a monarchy are the 
same. They both fawn and flatter the governing power for the sake of 
personal gain and notoriety. The designing orator and demagogue who in- 
cite a happy and contented class of well paid laborers, as well as the poor who 
are out of employment, to mutiny against their employers and benefactors; 
who make inflammatory speeches to convince them that the rich have no other 
designs than to crush the poor, deserves to be classed with the blood}- an- 
archist and should, like him, be stamped out by the government for its own 
protection. The organized strikers compose less than one-third of the laboring 
men of the United States, and of them a considerable majority are foreigners. 
Our land has been latterly made the receptacle into which foreign nations have 
dumped their paupers and criminals. The honest, intelligent, industrious, law- 
abiding foreigner will, in the future, as in the past, be welcome to our shores. 
We see the neatness and thrift of the Germans, who have clad these lovely 
islands with their vines, and, like Werhle, have beautified them with struc- 
tures. I allude to these people only in words of praise, lint, unhappily, statistics 
show that class of immigration to be on the wane, and in their stead we are 
flooded with dangerous criminals like the Italian bandit, born with a stiletto in 
his hand. 

"This republic has been kind to the laboring man. Political parties have 
vied with each other as to which could best promote his interests. Under 
congressional legislation the Chinese, with their cheap labor, have been ex- 
cluded in the interest of the American laboring man. The construction of 
the Union Pacific Railroad was completed by Chinese labor, and the same class 
can live, work and thrive on wages that would starve an American laborer and 
his family. Hence they have been excluded purely for tire benefit of com- 
pensatory wages for Americans. 

''The legislature of Ohio has enacted laws peculiarly beneficial to the 
laboring classes. It protects wages against the homestead and other exemp- 
tions of the debtor. It gives them priority over all others in case of their 
employers' failure. It gives them mechanics' and workmen's liens on struc- 



308 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

tures of all kinds, and our courts construe all those laws liberally in the 
interests of the mechanics and laborers whose work is in the structures. I 
would go farther: I would have our legislature and our courts protect the 
honest laborer, who, seeking" employment, finds a vacant place with ah em- 
ployer ready and willing to set him to work, but finds himself met, halted and 
threatened, not by the owner of the property, but by a striker who has vacated 
the position, stopped the business, depreciated the property of his former 
employer and now forbids a fellow citizen to work when his services are 
needed and the wages offered are satisfactory. It becomes at this point an 
issue, not between employer and employe, but it is the oppression of one class of 
laborers against another class. It is the tyranny of those who abandon their 
work and deprive other worthy and needy laborers of employment. It pre- 
sents the spectacle of an unreasonable and tyrannical class of laborers ar- 
rayed against another and less favored class seeking employment. 

"Personally, I am not interested in the conflict between the strikers and 
their employers. I allude to it without personal feeling for either class. In 
fact I have a friendly feeling for the laboring man. 'I have been there myself." 
The first money I ever earned for myself was by chopping wood for forty 
cents a cord. I have a sympathy with the laboring man, and especially for one 
who is out of employment and kept out by another. I have no especial affec- 
tion for an unreasonable capitalist. I am not in love with George M. Pull- 
man. I have on sundry occasions 'blowed in' two of the silver dollars of our 
fathers for the privilege of a sleep in one of his cars. I have also helped 
enable him to pay his taxes and keep up his style of living by adding the 
tribute of a quarter of a dollar toward the wages of his colored porter. We 
have all done the fair thing by George. In fact we have been liberal toward 
him almost to a fault : consequently he has no preferred lien on our affections. 
The state of our feelings, however, has little to do with the subject under 
consideration. The constitution of our own state as well as the federal con- 
stitution is broad enough to support appropriate legislation to remedy these 
evils ; to practicallv afford equal and exact protection to the poor against the 
rich; to protect the property of the rich against mob violence; and, what 
appears to be more needed at the present time, to afford protection to one 
class of laborers against the tyranny of another class. 

THE MISSION OF LAWYERS. 

"In all the political history of our country, when emergencies have 
arisen, lawyers were depended on to guide legislation, to frame treaties and to 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 309 

draft acts of legislature so that they might be in conformity of law. De 
Tocqueville, that accurate and sagacious observer of our country, as early 
as 1835, wrote these remarkable words: 'I cannot believe that a republic 
could subsist at the present time if the influence of lawyers in public busi- 
ness did not increase in proportion to the power of the people.' Thirty of the 
fifty-five members of the convention which framed the federal constitution 
were lawyers, and all of those who put it in proper legal shape were lawyers. 
Of all the United States senators since 1787 two-thirds have been lawyers, 
and of the entire number of representatives more than one-half were lawyers. 

"While it is true that men of other vocations have been useful and per- 
haps indispensable as legislators, because of their knowledge and experience in 
the various wants, industries and business interests of the country, yet upon 
the lawyers rested and still rests the responsibility of framing laws to meet 
and protect those wants and business interests, that they may stand when 
contested in the courts. Ludicrous results sometimes appear when the work 
of lawyers is left out. In Kansas at one time the people sat down on the 
lawyers and elected a granger legislature. The session laws of that year sub- 
sequently faded away like mists when they came before the courts. In one 
circuit they elected a granger judge who was down on lawyers. He refused 
to render decrees for the foreclosure of mortgages, giving as a reason that 
times were too hard and no foreclosures could be had in his court until times 
improved; In one case the supreme court rendered a decree of foreclosure and 
sent a mandate to the granger's court, but the same judge refused to obey 
the mandate, refused to carry the judgment into execution and was, I believe, 
attached for contempt by the supreme court. In Iowa they had a similar ex- 
perience as to the transitory character of granger legislation. A joke was 
once scored against the legislature of Ohio, when, by the act of March 11, 
1875, they made it unlawful to spear fish through the ice between the 1st of 
May and the 1st of September. A similar joke came near passing into our 
last legislature when an act went through one house which empowered a 
justice of the peace to appoint receivers for railroad companies who failed to 
pay the squire's judgment with due promptness. « 

"My friends, the longer I have practiced law the more do I learn to 
admire the profession to which I have the honor to belong. A lawyer de- 
voted to his profession has little other thought than to' study his cases in the 
interest of his clients. He seldom stops to reflect upon his calling or view 
it from an outside standpoint. A bar association with its periodical meetings 
has a beneficial tendency to relax his labors for the time being, and to afford 



3io CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

him the opportunity to exchange views with his fellow members of the legal 
profession when they are met together socially, and not in the heat of litigation 
at the bar. Upon the lawyer rests the responsibility of managing and directing 
the highest and most important business interests, the rights of persons, the 
rights of property, including in many instances the domestic relations. When 
I speak of lawyers I have no reference to that small class who have crept into 
our profession, who grovel in the dregs of dishonorable practice, the shysters, — 
a set of turkey buzzards, whose touch is pollution and whose breath is pesti- 
lence. To such a class drifts dishonest litigation. If a man has a crooked case 
he naturally hunts a crooked lawyer to manage it. I desire on the contrary to 
bring my tribute to the higher class of our profession. I mean the honorable, 
conscientious lawyer, who has many important privileges conferred upon him, 
and who in turn has many important duties to perform. He acts with fidelity 
to his client and with courtesy to the court, gives all the light and aid he can 
to honorably advance the interests of his client. He discourages useless and 
discreditable litigation. Pie investigates his client's cause and promptly tells 
him if it be true that he cannot defend or recover, as the case may be, and ad- 
vises a settlement or compromise. While such a lawyer may forego a fee 
for the time being he will build up a reputation for honesty that will ultimately 
flood him with business of a meritorious character, in which he himself will 
have confidence. On such a lawyer will the business man rely, when complica- 
tions arise and his property is in jeopardy. To him will the testator in con- 
templation of death send to write his last will and testament. On him will 
the widow and orphan depend when designing men seek to deprive them of 
their patrimony, and the lawyer who would prove false to such a trust, and 
himself become the robber, deserves to be expelled from the bar in his life- 
time after his death go where the worm dieth not and fire is not quenched, 
— and that, too, without any obituary notice by our committee on legal bi- 
ography. 

"Everything a lawyer acquires in the practice of his profession he de- 
serves, because he has earned it. Every step that he makes is in the face of 
tenacious opposition. His progress is contested inch by inch. His life is one 
of mental conflict. The other learned professions, in the acquisition of which 
the student burns his midnight oil in school or college, are not so. The 
pastor's sermon is an ex parte production. The physician prescribes to his 
patients in secret and without opposition ; if he makes a mistake the world 
is none the wiser ; but when the lawyer takes a false position or makes a mis- 
take it is in the glare of the light. He is detected and exposed in public 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 311 

and suffers humiliation and perhaps defeat. Therefore, I repeat, that the 
lawyer who succeeds in the face of incessant and unyielding opposition de- 
serves all he has gained. In conclusion, my friends, 1 propose to you this 
sentiment : There is no more exalted human character than the man of our 
profession who has rounded up a life of industry as an honest and successful 
lawyer." 

JOHN WESLEY KIBLER. 

Throughout the years of his business career John Wesley Kibler has 
resided in New Washington and has won success by his untiring labor, his 
ambition, his energy and well directed efforts and is to-day the possessor 
of a handsome competence and a beautiful home. His name is the synonym 
for honorable dealings in trade circles and he enjoys an unassailable reputa- 
tion by reason of his fidelity to the strictest ethics which govern commercial 
life. 

Mr. Kibler was born in New Washington, June 28, 1859, an ^ ^ s a son °f 
Matthias and Frederica (Pfahler) Kibler, whose life history is given at 
length in connection with the sketch of Samuel Jefferson Kibler, on another 
page of this work. No event of special importance occurred to vary the 
routine of the life of our subject in his boyhood, play, work and study oc- 
cupied his attention. He attended the common schools of the town and 
from early youth assisted in the work of the farm and the tan yard. At the 
age of eighteen years he entered the business house then owned by his brother 
and mother, who were proprietors of the business which his father had es- 
tablished. Soon after attaining his majority he purchased his mother's in- 
terest in the enterprise and the firm name was changed to Kibler Brothers, 
under which title operations have been since carried on. During the inter- 
vening years the business has increased to one of mammoth proportions, the 
partners being now the owners of one of the largest hide houses in the coun- 
try. During the first ten years of his connection with the firm Air. Kibler 
was upon the road as traveling representative, but since that time he has 
largely remained in the house in control of some of the important branches of 
the concern. 

Our subject exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and 
measures of the Democratic party and has served as corporation clerk for 
six years. He takes a deep interest in the growth and success of his party 
and at various times has been a delegate to county and state conventions. 



3i2 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

He is likewise a member of the Lutheran church, is a man of pleasing ad- 
dress, courteous in manner, unflinching principle and unquestioned integrity 
and yet withal having that practical common sense, which never runs to 
extremes and it is no wonder that wherever he goes he wins friends. His life 
has been well spent and his honorable and useful career is worthy of emula- 
tion. 

REV. JOHN P. KUNNERT. 

Devoting his life to the spread of the Gospel as a priest of the Catholic 
church. Rev. John P. Kunnert is now in charge of the congregation in New 
Washington. He was born in Mandercagne, in the grand duchy of Lux- 
embourg, on the 27th of October, 1856, his parents being Henry and Mag- 
dalen (Scheuerens) Kunnert. The father was born in 1823, in the same 
house in which occurred the birth of our subject, the property having de- 
scended through the eldest sons of the family from generation to generation. 
Through a long period representatives of the name have been farmers and 
breeders of fine stock, and for a number of years the father received more 
premiums at fairs for thoroughbred horses and cattle than any other one 
man. He brought his stock up to a very high standard of perfection and 
his labors were of benefit to> the locality in which he resided, for he greatly 
improved the grade of stock raised and therefore increased its market value, 
On numerous occasions he was chosen to act as judge at stock shows. His 
death occurred August 2 1 , 10,00. Llis wife, who also was born in the village 
where his birth occurred, first opened her eyes to the light of day in 1825 and 
represented one of the old families of farming people in that locality. She 
is still living and is also an excellent judge of horses. Since her husband's 
death she has managed the business, and her opinion is considered authority 
on stock. Mr. and Mrs. Kunnert were the parents of seven children, of 
whom six are living, namely: Margaret, now the wife of Jacob Keifer; 
Nicholas; Mary A.; John N., a railroad contractor in the employ of the 
Big Four Company at Cleveland, Ohio; Peter; and John P., of this review. 

In taking up the personal history of Father Kunnert we note that he 
remained with his parents until his fifteenth year, when, in 1871, he entered 
the government commercial college at Ettelbrick, Luxembourg, where he 
was graduated in the spring of 1874. Subsequently he went to Belgium and 
entered the Petit Seminary, an ecclesiastical college at Bostogne, Belgium, 
where he remained for five years. On the expiration of that period he went 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 313 

to France and for two and a half years was a student at Lnxenil les Bains, be- 
ing in the Petit Seminary in the province of Haute Saone; from that place he 
returned to Belgium Seminary and studied philosophy, continuing in that 
institution for a year and completing his course there in the fall of 1882. 

Father Kunnert then came to America and made his way to Wyandot 
county, Ohio, to visit some relatives, who were living in the town of Kirby. 
After some months there passed he went to Cleveland and entered St. Mary's 
Theological Seminary, where he continued until the spring of 1886. A week 
after he left the institution he went to Upper Sandusky and said his first mass. 
He was soon afterward given charge of the Catholic church in Harrisburg, 
Stark county, and also had charge of a mission, known as Maximo Mission, 
remaining there until December, 1888, when he was transferred to St. Peter's- 
church in Cleveland, where he remained fifteen months. In the spring of 
1890 he returned to his first charge in Stark county, acting as pastor at that 
place until September, 1899, when he was called to New Washington. In 
each church he has been handicapped by heavy debts, but these he has cleared 
away and on leaving the churches has left money in the treasury. He is most 
earnest and untiring in his labors in behalf of his people and ministers to their 
spiritual needs with marked devotion. In connection with the church at 
New Washington he superintends the Honey Creek Mission at Auburn. 

Father Kunnert has inherited his father's love for a good horse and 
now has a mare in his stables whose sire was a brother of Star Pointer. In 
manner Rev. Kunnert is genial, kindly and courteous and wins friends where- 
ever he goes, and at the same time he fully sustains the dignity of his high 
and holy office. 

WILLIAM HAYS. 

One of the prominent and leading citizens of Galion, Ohio, who passed 
awav during the closing decade of the last century was William Hays, who 
was born in Connecticut in 1820 and died at Galion in 1896. 

Mr. Hays' early boyhood was spent in hard work, from which he could 
spare little time to acquire an education. Flis only text-books were the 
spelling book and that revered book, the Bible, but he read widely and dili- 
gently and while yet a very young man had the reputation of being ex- 
ceptionally well informed, and his practical knowledge of business affairs en- 
abled him, when he came to Ohio, to take a lead in matters of finance and to 
advise his associates ably concerning important commercial interests. 

17 



314 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

When Mr. Hays was about twenty-six years of age lie met Mrs. Susan 
Black, formerly Miss Seager, of Syracuse, New York, who became his wife. 
Soon after his marriage he came to Wooster, Wayne county, Ohio, where he 
lived for a time. From Wooster he removed to Ashland county, Ohio, where 
he remained until 1857, and after living in Morrow county, Ohio, two years, 
took up his rsidence at Galion, in 1859, where during the remainder of his 
life he was prominently identified with leading business interests of different 
kinds. He was one of the original incorporators of the First National Bank 
of Galion, Ohio, established in 1804, with which important financial institu- 
tion he was connected for twenty-two years. Afterward he became identified 
with the management of the Galion National Bank, with which he was asso- 
ciated until his death. 

Mr. Hays has often been referred to as "one of the bright stars that the 
New England states have given to the financial and monetary interests of 
the state." His popularity and his position as a useful and prominent mem- 
ber of society were well attested in a series of resolutions that were adopted 
by the joint meeting of the Bankers' Association, of which Hon. J. W. 
Coulter was chairman, in which a glowing tribute was paid to Mr. Hays, 
not only as a financier, but as a patriotic, public-spirited man who had always 
had at heart the best interests of Galion. 

GEORGE T. KERR. 

This well known citizen of Crawford county is one of the largest sheep- 
raisers in Ohio and has been largely instrumental in improving the grade of 
stock raised in the state. His efforts have therefore been of public benefit, 
f< >r the improvement of stock adds to its market value, and the wealth of the 
agricultural class is thereby augmented. The rich pasture lands of this por- 
tion of Ohio provide excellent opportunities to> the sheep^raiser, and this 
industry has become an important one in the commercial interests of the 
state. Mr. Kerr is one of its leading representatives,- — a progressive, ener- 
getic business man, capably controlling extensive interests which have made 
him widely known. 

Mr. Kerr is a son of James and Nancy (Towers) Kerr and was born on 
the home farm in Whetstone township, December 13, 1847. He spent his 
vouth there and pursued his education in the country schools. In 1869, 
after attaining his majority, he married Lydia Echleberry, a native of Penn- 
svlvania and for two years thereafter engaged in agricultural pursuits in 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 315 

\Yhetstone township. He then took up his residence in Bucyrus township 
Avhere he now resides. Here he owns four hundred and thirty acres of fine 
farming land, and with the exception of about forty acres the entire amount 
is under cultivation and the improvements are most modern. There is a fine 
frame house built in attractive design and nicely furnished; a good barn, 
substantial outbuildings and the latest improved machinery for facilitating 
the work of the farm. He also owns two hundred acres of land in Marion 
county. He is perhaps the largest sheep-raiser of the county, having about 
twelve hundred head. In addition he raises other kinds of stock and is also 
an extensive farmer. 

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Kerr has been blessed with eight children, 
namely : Cloyd, who died at the age of seventeen years ; Burtie, at home ; 
James, who died at the age of eight years ; Elnora, wife of Charles Hoover, a 
farmer of Bucyrus township; Bevie May, Clementine, Ava and Walter J. 
The family is one of prominence in the community, and the members of the 
household have many warm friends. In his political views Mr. Kerr is a 
Republican. He has spent his entire life in this county and that many who 
have known him from boyhood are numbered among his warmest friends 
is unmistakable evidence of the upright life which he has led. He is well 
known in business circles for his promptness, trustworthiness and energy and 
thus he maintains a foremost position among the representative agriculturists 
of the state. 

JOSEPH SCHILL. 

The industrial interests of Crestline are well represented by this gentle- 
man, who is now the president and treasurer of Schill Brothers Company. 
He is a wide-awake, progressive and enterprising business man. whose close 
application, perseverance and resolute will have enabled him to advance 
steadily to a leading position among the most prominent business men of 
Crawford county. He was born in Sharon township, Richland county. Ohio, 
December 4, 1862. His father, George Schill, is a native of Germany, and 
in 1833 came to the United States, locating upon a farm in Richland county, 
Ohio, where he remained until 1892, when he came to Crawford count)'. 
For a number of years he engaged in the operation of a sawmill. In early 
life he became a stationary engineer and is now acting in that capacity in the 
factory owned and controlled by his sons. 

Joseph Schill was the second child and came to Crawford county in 1875, 



316 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

at the age of thirteen years, and entered upon his business career as an em- 
ploye in the store of L. Schick, a grocer. He was employed as a salesman 
for some time, but at length embarked in business on his own account, in 
connection with his brother, as a dealer in hardware. They equipped their 
store with a large and well selected stock of goods and carried on a successful 
business until 1892, when they organized the Schill Brothers Furnace & 
Range Company, which was organized in 1900, with a capital stock of one 
hundred thousand dollars, Joseph Schill being president and treasurer. This 
is one of the leading industrial concerns of Crestline, employing about eighty 
men throughout the entire year. They began operations on a small scale, but 
their sales have continually increased and in the present year have almost 
doubled those of the year just passed. Their products are shipped to nearly 
every state in the Union, from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast and from the 
great lakes to the gulf of Mexico. The success of the business is largely due- 
to the capable management and keen sagacity of Joseph Schill. Four men 
are continually employed on the road to introduce and sell their goods to the 
merchants, and they also have distributing points at Minneapolis, Minne- 
sota; Denver, Colorado; and St. Louis, Missouri; Topeka and Lawrence, 
Kansas; and other points. 

Mr. Schill was united in marriage, in August, 1891, to Miss Maggie 
Koendere, a native of Cleveland, Ohio. 

OLIVER J. KELLER. 

I 
Prominent in Liberty township is Oliver J. Keller, a progressive and rep- 
resentative business citizen of Crawford county and a member of the mer- 
cantile firm of O. & C. Keller, of Sulphur Springs. Mr. Keller was born 
in Northampton count}-, Pennsylvania, on July 28, 1843, and was a sou of 
Joseph and Lovina (Kline) Keller, the former of whom was born in North- 
ampton county, Pennsylvania, about 1823, and was a son of Jacob and Eliza- 
beth (Shook) Keller, both also natives of Northampton county. In the 
spring of 1857 Jacob Keller, the grandfather of our subject, came to Craw- 
ford county and bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Sandusky 
township, and also one of eighty acres in Liberty township, making his home 
on the first tract, with his son, Joseph, residing there several years, and then 
removed to a property which he purchased in the village of Sulphur Springs, 
and upon which he resided until his death. 

Joseph Keller, the father of our subject, came to Crawford county in 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 317 

1857 with his father, and after some years of residence on the Sandusky 
township farm, purchased it and continued to live there until 1876, when he 
rented it to his son, Josiah, since deceased, and removed to Sulphur Springs, 
where he lived until his death, in 1891. In politics he was a Democrat in his 
earlier years, but the issues of the Civil war caused him to change and ever 
after he supported the Republican party. Through the greater part of his 
life he was an active member of the Reformed church, filling many of its 
offices, and was one of the most worthy citizens of the community. 

The mother of our subject was born in Pennsylvania, about' 1825, and 
was a daughter of Jacob Kline, also a native of Pennsylvania, of German 
origin, who was one of the prominent farmers of Northampton county, where 
he passed his whole life. The death of the mother was in July, 1899. The 
children born to Mr. and Mrs. Keller numbered eleven, the four survivors 
being: Oliver, of this sketch; Jeremiah, a painter residing in Easton, Penn- 
sylvania; Rev. Reuben, a Reformed minister residing in White Pigeon, Mich- 
igan; and Albert D., a professor in Heidelberg University at Tiffin, Ohio. 
Oliver J. Keller grew up in a moral and happy home. His education 
was pursued in the common schools. At the breaking out of the Civil war 
he offered his services to his country, enlisting- on August 15, 1861, in Com- 
pany C, Forty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was assigned 
to the Army of the Cumberland, and hence took part in these -never-to-be- 
forgotten battles: Shiloh, Stone River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, 
Nashville and Franklin, and went through the Atlanta campaign,— in fact 
took part in almost all of the important operations of that brave and gallant 
part of the Union army. At the battle of Stone River he was taken prisoner, 
on December 31, 1862, and was incarcerated in Castle Thunder and Libby 
prison for some thirty days. For the following five months he was on parole, 
his exchange taking place some time in May, when he returned to his com- 
mand, finally receiving his discharge at Victoria, Texas, in the latter part of 
November, 1865, but did not reach home until on January 1, 1866. 

After his return from the army Mr. Keller accepted a position as clerk- 
in the mercantile establishment of A. Fry & Company, of Sulphur Springs, 
and remained in this capacity for two years, at the end of which period he pur- 
chased an interest in the business of J. H. Biddle & Company, of this place. 
Some years later the firm was merged into the firm of Scott & Keller, but sev- 
eral years afterward Mr, Keller sold his interest to his partner. Mr. A. J. Scott, 
and shortly after that purchased an interest in the business of Kloppenstein 
& Company. Some time later the interest of Mr. Kloppenstein was bought 



3 iS CEXTEXXIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

by C. A. Keller, who became a partner of our subject, and since that time the 
firm has been O. & G Keller. During the intervening years the industry and 
ability of these partners have resulted in the building up of an immense trade, 
and they are justly considered important factors in the mercantile business in 
Crawford county. 

Mr. Keller is a stanch Republican, and has long been an active member 
of the Reformed church, holding many of the offices in it and supporting it 
liberally. Socially he is connected with the G. A. R. Mr. Keller is unmar- 
ried, but takes a prominent position in the social as well as business life of 
Sulphur Springs. 

FRED NEWMAN. 

Fred Newman, an attorney at law and justice of the peace of Crestline, 
is one who has attained a prominent and enviable position as a leading' busi- 
ness man of Crestline entirely through his own efforts. Without any extraor- 
dinary family or pecuniary advantages to aid him he has successfully coped 
with adverse fate and by determined purpose has worked his way steadily 
upward. He was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, January 21, 1839, and 
there remained until thirteen years of age, during which time he pursued his 
education in the schools of his native country. In 1852 he started for Amer- 
ica, coming alone as a passenger on the sailing vessel, which was fifty-four 
days upon the water. While on the passage he engaged in cooking and from 
the wages which he received he managed to save twenty-five dollars, which 
was the amount of capital which he possessed when he arrived at Baltimore,. 
Maryland. From that city he made his way to- Laurel Factory, where he 
engaged in clerking in a store for a short time, after which he went to An- 
napolis, Maryland, where he occupied a clerkship in a general mercantile 
establishment. 

In 1854 Air. Newman arrived in Crestline, after having spent a few r 
months in Leesville, Ohio. He was employed as a salesman in a store belong- 
ing to his uncle. John Newman, who was one of the pioneers of the county, 
and he remained in his service until 1866. He desired, however, to enter 
professional life, and when about nineteen years of age, he took up the study 
of law, which he continued as occasion offered until he pas prepared for ad- 
mission to the bar. He was licensed to practice at Mount Gilead, Ohio, in 
1868, and immediately afterward opened his office in Crestline, -where he has 
since remained. The profession of law is one in which attainment must de- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 319 

pencl upon individual merit ; it cannot come from the aid of birth or influen- 
tial friends. The lawyer must prepare, plead and win his first case and con- 
tinue to advance through merit and ability resulting from a comprehensive 
knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence and a correct application of the 
law to the points of the case in litigation. Mr. Newman is always pains- 
taking and careful in his preparation of the case and before the court and jury 
he is a logical reasoner, basing his arguments on facts with clearness and 
force. For a number of years he was city solicitor of Crestline and in 1895 
was elected justice of the peace, a position which he yet holds. Success has 
attended his efforts and in addition to the large practice which he retains he is 
the owner of a fine business block, the rental from which adds materially to 
his income. 

In 1868 Mr. Newman was united in marriage to Miss Emma T. Smith, 
a native of Wayne county, Ohio, and unto them have been born three daugh- 
ters and one son: Florence, now the wife of William Moss, a resident of 
Utah; Eleanora, who resides in Jacksonville, Florida, and is the widow of 
Henry E. Bos worth, who was killed at Bristol, Tennessee, in July, 1897; 
Edna, a resident of New York city ; and Earl, who is studying law with his 
father. Mr. Newman is a member of the Presbyterian church at Crestline 
and his family attend its services. Since 1862 he has been an exceptionally 
valuable member of the Masonic fraternity and for about the same time he 
has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he has 
been secretary for a number of years. He takes an active interest in promot- 
ing the work of these organizations and is a true follower of their benevolent 
teachings. He gives his support to the Democracy and is unswerving in his 
allegiance to the principles of the party. 

A self-educated and self-made man the work that he has accomplished in 
life is certainly creditable. He is public-spirited in an eminent degree : na- 
tional progress and local advancement are both causes dear to the heart of 
"this adopted and thoroughly loyal son of the Republic. His devotion to the 
country is above question, and no native son of America is more true to her 
institutions or more faithful to his duties of citizenship. 

PHILIP KELLER. 

Joseph Keller, ancestor of the Keller family of America, was one of 
one hundred and eighty passengers, who came to this country in the fall of 
1737 from Rotterdam, Holland, in the ship ''William," landing October 31. 



320 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

His father, who had died when the boy was young, had been a Roman 
Catholic; his mother was a Protestant. Joseph was nineteen years old and 
was from Zweihruecken. Bavaria, but the family is believed to have originated 
in Switzerland. In the fourteenth century, when the "black death" raged 
especially in the Alps, many people fled into the Rhine countries, and among 
them the Keller family. Joseph Keller, the emigrant, married and had seven 
sons, all of whom except one. Christian, were given scriptural names. Fol- 
lowing is a translation of a record in German that was made by Joseph 
Keller and which is interesting not alone because it is a part of the history of 
his family, but because it suggests an always interesting vicissitude of pioneer 
life: "My beloved housewife, Maria ( Engler) Keller, was led captive by the 
Indians. September 15. 1757, my son Christian was killed, and my sons Joseph 
and John Jacob taken captive. My wife returned October 20, 1760, but of 
my children I have not heard." Christian Keller, who was murdered and 
scalped by the savages, was fourteen years and five days old. The youngest 
son, a babe of five months and twenty-four days, was left unharmed in his 
cradle. Three sons and his only daughter remained to Mr. Keller. His 
neighbors sympathized with him, and in testimony of the regard in which they 
held him, built a block house as a means of defense to him and his remaining 
family. 

There was a Rev. John Keller, a minister of the Reformed church, who 
prepared himself for the gospel ministry under the direction of the Rev. 
George Weiss, at Lancaster, Ohio, and who was licensed and ordained in New 
York, in 1827, by the synod of Ohio, and died in Erie county, New York, in 
1852, in his fifty-second year. He was a member of this family of Kellers, 
a descendant of one of the brothers of "great-grandfather Philip" Keller. In 
all generations the Kellers have been noted for loyality to convictions and 
honesty of purpose and for the strength of their physicial constitutions. 

Philip Keller was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, January 
26, [818, one of the eight children of John H. and Maria (Engler) Keller, 
who were named as follows: Philip; Anna, wife of Philip Ossman, of Bucy- 
rus, Ohio; Eli, a minister of the Reformed church at Allentown, Lehigh coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania; Amos, captain of Company C, Forty-ninth Regiment, Ohio 
Volunteer Infantry, who was killed at the battle of Stone River ; Aaron, lieu- 
tenant of Company C, Forty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, who 
was also killed in the same engagement; Susan, who married J. B. Shumaker, 
of Tiffin, Ohio ; Joseph A., who also saw service in the Civil war and who lives 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 321 

at Alliance, Ohio; Joel F., who lives in Liberty township, Crawford county, 
Ohio. 

John H. Keller, father of Philip Keller, of Liberty township, was born 
in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, December 24, 1786, a son of Philip 
and Sarah (Miller) Keller, both natives of Northampton county, Pennsyl- 
vania; he was born March 29, 1763, and she September 27, 1763. Sarah 
( Miller) Keller died October 16, 1804, and Philip Keller afterward married 
Susanna Niemeyer, who was born November 22, 1770, and died December 
4, 1859, aged eighty-nine years and twelve days. Philip Keller died October 
2, 1842, ag'ed about eighty years. He was a son of Joseph Keller, the emi- 
grant, who as has been stated came to this country in 1737. He was a 
prominent farmer of Northampton county, Pennsylvania, where he died. 

John H. Keller grew to manhood in his native county in Pennsylvania, 
and was educated in the common schools near his home and in due time mar- 
ried and settled down to farming and the operation of a gristmill. His father 
owned a large tract of farming land and was able to give each of his children 
a good start in life. After a time Mr. Keller gave his attention to surveying 
and became expert in such work. He long held the office of justice of the 
peace and was for several years judge of the court of common pleas of 
Northampton county, Pennsylvania. In 1856 he disposed of his holdings 
in Pennsylvania and came to Crawford county, Ohio. He had come out the 
previous year and contracted for two farms, — the Rupert farm, of two hun- 
dred and sixteen acres in Sandusky township and the Souder farm of one hun- 
dred and eight acres in Liberty township. Upon their arrival in this county 
in 1856, Mr. Keller and his son Philip settled on the Rupert farm and his 
son Joel F. on the Souder farm. In the fall of that year Mr. Keller removed 
to Bucyrus, Ohio, where he lived until his death, which occurred September 
10. 1867. In early life he was a Jackson Democrat, but he voted for Fre- 
mont for the presidency in 1856 and thereafter was an ardent Republican. 
For many years he was an elder in the Reformed church and in every relation 
of life was faithful to all trusts reposed in him and as a citizen stood deservedly 
high in the esteem of all who knew him. His wife, Susanna Engler, was born 
in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1797, a daughter of Casper 
and Susanna (Niemeyer) Engler, and died in November, 1884. After the 
death of her father, her mother, Airs. Susanna Engler, married Philip Keller, 
grandfather of the subject of this sketch. 

Philip Keller, of Liberty township. Crawford county, Ohio, was reared 
on his father's farm in Pennsylvania and acquired a fair common-school edu- 



322 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

cation in German schools, but attended English school only three months; but 
his father was a constant student and his home was practically a school, where 
every night study was carried on by lamp light, from immediately after supper 
until late bedtime, the father being the teacher of a class constituted of his 
children. At the age of twenty-five, Philip began to teach school and taught 
four winter terms successfully. In January, 1846, he married Miss Hannah 
Stocker, a native of Northampton county, daughter of Francis and Barbara 
(Stofflet) Stocker, both of whom were of German parentage. After his 
marriage, he settled on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres which he leased 
from his father. In the fall of 1855, with his father and his brother Joel, he 
came to Crawford county, Ohio, to prospect for land. His father had come 
out earlier the same year and desired his sons to see certain property before 
he contracted for it for them. The purchase of land in Sandusky and Lib- 
erty townships and the early removal of the father to Bucyrus have been re- 
ferred to. About ten years ago, Mr. Keller sold fifty acres of his original 
farm and bought his present home farm of seventy-five acres, on which his son 
John lived until his death. About 1895, Mr. Keller removed to his present 
homestead, leaving his son Amos on the old farm. To Mr. Keller have been 
born eleven children. His daughter Maria is dead. His daughter Mrs. 
Sabina Teel resides in Bucyrus, Ohio. His son John is dead. His daugh- 
ters Abbie and Ellen are members of his household. His daughter Lydia is 
the wife of C. S. Ackerman, carpenter, of Liberty township. Amos is man- 
aging the old homestead in Sandusky township. 

In politics Mr. Keller is liberal and independent. He has been a life- 
long member of the Reformed church, but is tolerant of the religious views 
of others of all denominations. Now in his eighty-fourth year, his mental 
and physical preservation is remarkable. A diligent and studious reader all 
his life, he is a well informed man. 

GABRIEL KESSLER. 

Gabriel Kessler was born in Schuykill county, Pennsylvania, on the 30th 
of September, 1838, his parents being Daniel and Susanna (Clouser) Kessler. 
The family is of German lineage on both the paternal and maternal sides. 
The father of our subject was born in Schuylkill county, but his parents were 
both natives of Germany, having located in the Keystone state in early life. 
There Daniel Kessler was reared to manhood and began farming on his own 
account, acquiring a property of one hundred and sixty acres. In 1849, how- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 323 

ever, he disposed of his interests there and came to Crawford county, Ohio, 
purchasing sixty acres of land in Liberty township, where he made his home 
up to the time of his death. Soon after his arrival he also bought a tract 
of land of eighty acres in Chatfield township, and his farming interests re- 
turned to him a good financial reward for his labors. He was a member of 
the German Reformed church and was a Democrat in his political views. His 
wife was also born in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, and they became the 
parents of ten children, of whom six are yet living, namely: Paul, who 
makes his home in DeKalb county, Indiana; Daniel, of Mercer county, Ohio; 
Mathilda, who resides in Liberty township, Crawford county; Lucy, the wife 
of Peter Trumater, of Sandusky township, this county ; and Catherine, who 
married Samuel Kurtz and is also> living in Liberty township. 

No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of life for 
Gabriel Kessler in his youth. His early boyhood days were passed on the 
old homestead in Pennsylvania and later he accompanied his parents on their 
removal to Ohio. He attended the common schools to a limited extent, but 
was largely engaged in clearing away the timber upon the new Ohio farm 
when he was at the school age. On attaining his majority he started out 
upon an independent business career as a farm hand in the employ of agri- 
culturists living in the neighborhood. Three years later he purchased a 
threshing machine, and for eleven years was engaged in its operation during 
the harvest season, receiving- a very liberal patronage and thus prospering. 
In 1 87 1 he was enabled to purchase his present home farm of seventy-six 
acres. Since that time he has carried on agricultural pursuits on his own 
account, and his work has been crowned with a well merited and highly 
gratifying degree of success. 

On the 7th of August, 1873, occurred the marriage of Mr. Kessler and 
Miss Sarah E. Clapper, a native of Warren county, Indiana, and a daughter 
of William and Julia A. ( Moore) Clapper, who came to Crawford county in 
1864. The young couple began their domestic life upon the farm which has 
since been their home, and in 1884 Mr. Kessler rebuilded his barn and in 1886 
erected one of the most attractive residences in this portion of the county. 
The latest improved machinerv and all modern accessories are found upon his 
place, and the buildings stand as a monument to his thrift and enterprise. The 
home is well known for its gracious hospitality, which is enjoyed by many 
friends of Mr. and Mrs. Kessler. Unto our subject and his wife have been 
born eight children, of whom seven are yet living, namely: William A., a 
resident of Auburn township; and Charles E., Clara E., Franklin S., Ada B. r 



324 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Harvey A. and Mabel M., all yet under the parental roof. The parents hold 
membership in the German Reformed church, and Mr. Kessler exercises his 
right of franchise in support of Democratic principles and the men who are 
made the candidates of the party for office. His life has been one of untir- 
ing activity in agricultural circles, and he is known and honored for his 
fidelity to< principle and his straightforward dealing. 

JOHN WENTZ. 

One of the prosperous, energetic and capable agriculturists of Crawford 
county is John Wentz, who makes his home in Bucyrus township, where he 
is engaged in the tilling of the soil and the raising of stock. He was born 
in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in Chambersburg, September i, 1837, a 
son of John and Mary (Monard) Wentz, both of whom were natives of Hesse, 
Germany. In early life, however, they came to the new world and were mar- 
ried in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1839 they removed to 
Blackford county, Indiana, settling in the midst of the forest and there they 
•cleared and developed a farm, upon which they spent their remaining days. 
Of their children only John and his brother Jacob are now living. 

John Wentz was only two years of age when his parents removed to 
the Hoosier state, and there amid the wild scenes of pioneer life he was 
reared to manhood, assisting his father in clearing away the forest trees 
and preparing the fields for cultivation. He never attended school for a single 
day until he was fifteen years of age, and after that attended for only a few 
weeks for two or three years. His entire attendance would not aggregate 
one year, but though he gained a limited education in the schoolroom he is a 
well informed man, gaining his knowledge through reading, observation and 
experience. 

On the 26th of November, 1857, when twenty years of age Mr. Wentz 
was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Greenich, who was born in Waynes- 
burg, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Jacob and Christina Greenich, who were 
also natives of the fatherland and early settlers of Crawford county, Ohio, 
whither they came with their daughter, Mrs. Wentz, when the latter was only 
five vears of age. In the spring of 1858 Mr. Wentz and his young wife went 
to the place where his parents were living, in Blackford county, Indiana, and 
there he engaged in farming through the summer, but in the autumn of the 
same \ear he returned to Crawford county, where he purchased of his father- 
in-law ninety acres of land, situated on section 34, Holmes township. On 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 325 

this land he took up his abode, entering upon a successful career as an agri- 
culturist. He added to his landed possessions as he prospered and at one 
time owned nearly rive hundred acres, a part of which he afterward sold but, 
at the present writing, in the summer of 190 1, he owns more than three hun- 
dred and sixty acres of fine land, three hundred acres being within the 
borders of his home farm, on section 34, Holmes township, and sections 
2 and 3, in Bucyrus township. The farm is under a high state of culti- 
vation and is well improved. Upon the farm are two residences. The one 
situated in Holmes township was his place of abode for thirty-one years, but 
after purchasing the old George Kent farm in Bucyrus township, he removed 
to the residence thereon in 1890, and two years later remodeled it into a con- 
venient and pleasant home. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Wentz have been born the following children: Alary 
E., the wife of Thomas J. Caldwell, a farmer of Bucyrus township; Annette, 
the widow of John Beall ; Clement L., at home: Willis J., who wedded Mary 
Miller, is a farmer of Holmes township, residing on his father's old home- 
stead; Ora Alice, the wife of Hugh Dobbins, of Bucyrus township; Ida May, 
Emma Pearl and John Earl, all at home. They also lost one child, who died 
in infancy in 1870. The Wentz family is one of the most prominent in the 
■county, its different members being highly respected for their sterling worth. 

In his political views Mr. Wentz is a stanch Democrat, but the honors 
and emoluments of public office have had no attraction for him. He has pre- 
ferred to give his time and attention to his farm interests and though he began 
business life as a poor boy he is to-day numbered among the prosperous 
farmers of the community as the result of his untiring industry, his determina- 
tion and his force of character. He is a public-spirited citizen and withholds 
his support from no movement or measure which he believes will prove of 
public benefit. His worth is widely acknowledged by those who have regard 
for true and upright character, and thus he has gained many friends. 

CHARLES L. WHITMYER. 

Charles L. Whitmyer, who is yard conductor of the Pittsburg, Fort 
Wayne & Chicago Railroad at Crestline, was born in Baden, German}-, April 
15, 1845. His father, Michael Whitmyer, was also a native of this locality 
and was there reared, educated and married. He was a stone cutter by trade 
and in 1852 came to the United States, locating in Xew York City, where 
he died six months later. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Christina 



326 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Bishop, was also a native of Baden and she only survived her husband three 
days. They were the parents of six children, one of whom died in the old 
country, one went upon the sea, crossing the Atlantic, and one in New York 
City, so that three children were the only ones living at the parents' death. 
These were: Anna. Charles L. and William, aged respectively, ten, eight 
and six years, when the parents were called away. They were then reared by 
strangers, and going to different families, were separated. The daughter 
is now the wife of George G. Herr, of Crestline, and William died in Mans- 
field, Ohio. 

At the time of the father's death Charles Leonard Whitmyer was placed 
with a poor family and as soon as old enough he began to work, following 
any pursuit that would yield him a living. He spent a period of some time 
in New York City, where he acted as nurse. There he remained until 1854, 
when the children all came to Ohio together, locating in Akron, their home 
being with an aunt. 

Our subject remained with his aunt for about three years, when, with 
his sister and brother, he went to Canal Fulton, Stark county, Ohio, where 
he lived for two years. On the expiration of that period he returned to 
Akron and a year later came to Crestline. In the vicinity of this city he 
worked for one summer as a farm hand, receiving three dollars per month in 
compensation for his services. After two years spent in Crestline, Mr. Whit- 
myer and his sister and brother went to Mansfield, Ohio, and he secured a 
situation as a porter in the Wyler House, where he continued for about two 
years. He then began working on the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark Rail- 
road, now the Baltimore & Ohio road, in the Lexington gravel pit, remaining 
with the company for. one season, after which he returned to Crestline. In 
1863 he engaged with the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad Com- 
pany to shovel coal at the coal pile and was thus employed for eight months, 
when he was made brakeman in the yard, acting in that capacity for three 
years. He was then made brakeman upi >n the road running between Crestline 
and Alliance, with Conductor Jake Fink. He had been engaged in that work 
for about six weeks, when, as the train ran out of Alliance and was about 
one and a half miles west of Orville, the cars separated from the rail while 
in full speed and Mr. Whitmyer was thrown to the ground and it seemed 
that he turned about twenty somersaults before alighting. He then went 
back to' Orville and telegraphed to the conductor that he was all right. On the 
next passenger train he went to Crestline. For about a week he was forced 
to- remain at home on account of the injuries from his fall and then began 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 327 

work in the yard again as brakeman, which work hie followed until he was 
promoted to yard conductor about 1874. In 1878 he was made assistant 
yard master and served in that capacity for about six years, when he again 
assumed the position of yard conductor and is now acting in that office, being 
the oldest yard conductor in Crestline by many years. 

In 1864 Mr. Whitmyer was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Hass, 
a native of Mansfield. Ohio>, where she was reared, and a daughter of Peter 
and Elizabeth (Brick) Hass, both of whom were natives of Germany and 
became early settlers of Richland county. Unto' Mr. and Mrs. Whitmyer 
have been born four children: Anna, wife of John Reindal, of Crestline; 
Charlie W., who married Miss Nettie Paden and is now a traveling sales- 
man, living in Chicago; Mary E., widow of John C. Adams, who was killed 
on the railroad in the Crestline yards in 1899; Ellen, wife of Irvin Bishop, of 
Crestline. They also have six grandchildren : Estella and Charles \Y. and 
Helen L. Reindal; Ruth L. Adams; Elizabeth C. Whitmyer; and Leona Gladys 
Bishop. Mr. Whitmyer is a member of the Railroad Brotherhood, the Crest- 
line Tent, No. 51, Knights of Maccabees, and of the Relief Society. He also 
belongs to the German Reformed church, and is a Democrat in politics. Plis 
life has been quietly passed, devoted to the promotion of the welfare of his 
community, being one of those substantial citizens, who at all times and under 
all curcumstances are faithful and loyal to their country, to their friends and 
the people. 

ROBERT R. BLACK. 

A representative of the medical fraternity of Galion, Robert Resee Black 
has already won an enviable position as a member of the profession, although 
he has engaged in practice for only a few years. He is a native of Knox 
county, Ohio, born in 1874, and is a son of Dr. John Luther Black, now de- 
ceased. The father was also born in Knox county, and was a son of William 
Black, one of the pioneer settlers of that locality, who is still living, at the 
advanced age of ninety years. He married a Miss Cornell, who probably came 
to this state from Pennsylvania. Dr. John L. Black pursued his professional 
education in Wooster University, of Cleveland, Ohio, now the Cleveland Med- 
ical College, and for about twenty years successfully engaged in practice at 
Democracy, Knox county, enjoying a large and lucrative business. He died 
in 1886, at the comparatively early age of forty-five years. His wife bore the 
maiden name of Fedora Sapp, and is a native of Knox county. She is still 



328 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

living, her home being in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Her father, Robert Sapp, was 
also numbered among the early settlers of Knox county. 

Dr. Black, whose name introduces this review, pursued his literary edu- 
cation in the schools of Mount Vernon and of Democracy, Ohio. He began 
reading medicine under the direction of Dr. Russell, in 1891, and later con- 
tinued his studies in the Starling Medical College, of Columbus, being gradu- 
ated in that institution with the class of 1897. Immediately afterward he 
entered into business relations with his former preceptor, Dr. Russell, with 
whom he practiced in Mount Vernon, Ohio, for six months, after which he 
came to Galion, where he has since remained. The ambition and energy of 
young men are his, and, supplemented by a laudable determination to succeed, 
he will undoubtedly gain a foremost place in the ranks of the medical frater- 
nity, having already won success which many an older practitioner might well 
envy. 

Dr. Black was joined in wedlock to Miss Lulu Knight Hall, of Mansfield, 
Ohio, a daughter of William B. and Margaret ( Knight) Hall, formerly resi- 
dents of Knox county, Ohio, where the father was extensively and success- 
fully engaged in farming and stock-raising. The Doctor and his wife now 
have one interesting little son, Robert Russell. The Doctor is identified with 
the Independent Order of Foresters. During his residence in Galion he has 
formed a wide circle of acquaintances, gained many warm friends and won 
a desirable position in the ranks of his chosen calling. In business affairs he 
is energetic, prompt and notably reliable, and as a student his researches and 
investigations are continually broadening his mind, fitting him in the highest 
degree for the responsibilities that rest upon him as a representative of the 
medical profession. 

JEFFERSON I. SMITH. 

\ 

Jefferson I. Smith, who is serving as deputy auditor of Crawford county, 
and a resident of Bucyrus, is a well-known resident of this portion of Ohio, 
where his entire life has been passed. He was born in Lykens township. 
Crawford county, Ohio, in 1863, his parents being Frederick and Lucy Ann 
( Shupp) Smith. More extended mention of the parents is made in the biog- 
raphy of L. M. Smith. At the usual age he entered the public schools and 
pursued his studies until he had completed the high school course at New 
Washington, with the class of 1885. In the fall of that year he became editor 
of the Herald, published in New Washington, and continued his connection 





C^ "SW^JCfc. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 331 

with the paper until 1897, making it a representative Democratic journal of 
the county. He was a forceful, earnest and interesting writer and his editorials 
carried weight in forming public opinion in the county. While still connected 
with the paper Air. Smith served fur three terms as town clerk of Xew Wash- 
ington and was also a member of the board of education. He made a close 
study of the needs of his town and the improvements that would best advance 
its interests and in every way possible promoted the upbuilding and sub- 
stantial improvement of the place. Throughout his entire life he has been 
connected with the Democracy and for three years was a member, from Cran- 
berry township,, on the Democratic county central committee, and for one 
year acted in the capacity of chairman. From 1890 until 1896 he was a mem- 
ber of the board of school examiners for the county and has been one of the 
state supervisors of elections since 1893. In 1897 he was appointed deputy 
auditor of Crawford count}' and in April, 1901, was nominated, without oppo- 
sition, the Democratic candidate for county auditor, and elected in November 
following. In every public duty he has manifested marked loyalty and trust- 
worthiness. 

Air. Smith was united in marriage in Wayne count)- to Miss Linnie 
Breneman, a daughter of J. H. and Lydia B. (McNary) Breneman. They 
now have one son, Russell B. Air. and Airs. Smith hold membership in the 
Alethodist Episcopal church. He has been a very active worker in the Sunday- 
school, realizing the importance of youthful training. For five years he 
served as superintendent of the Sunday-school at Xew Washington, which 
made commendable progress under his direction and is now a teacher in the 
Sunday-school of the church at Bucyrus. Socially he is identified with the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and with the Knights of Pythias fra- 
ternity, of New Washington. He is a popular man, of genial and courteous 
manner, and the circle of his friends is limited only by the circle of his ac- 
quaintances. 

FERNANDO J. NORTON. 

Fernando- Jefferson Norton was born in Bucyrus, December 28, 1859. 
His father, Jefferson Norton, was a native of Pennsylvania, born February 
26, 1825, and with his parents he became a resident of Bucyrus. After ar- 
riving at years of maturity he married Eleanor M. Byron, who was born 
March 9, 1824, and died Alarch 18, 1882. At the usual age Air. Norton, of 
this review, entered the public schools, where he acquired a good English. 

18 



332 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

•education, after which he learned the trade of carriage wood working. When 
he had completed his apprenticeship he engaged in journeyman work with his 
father for a year and then to< >k a contract to carry the mail from Bucyrus to 
( )ceola. Sushsequently he extended his route to Benton, Buljoe and Wingert's 
Corners and was so employed for nine months. He then accepted a position 
as fireman on the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad and was employed in that 
capacity for two years and nine months, when he was injured in the perform- 
ance of his duties. This necessitated his retirement front labor for nine 
months, and on recovering lie found that he would have to- give up railroad 
work. He then secured a position in a machine shop, where he remained for 
a brief period. Prior to this he had erected a small greenhouse, fifteen by 
forty-five feet, and determining to leave the shop he decided to give his at- 
tention to gardening and the cultivation of flowers. He admitted his brother 
to a partnership in the business, under the firm name of Norton Brothers, 
and purchased six and a half acres of land, known as the Winner estate, 
north of Bucyrus. The relationship between the brothers was maintained 
for about a year, when Mr. Norton, of this review, became sole proprietor, 
purchasing his partner's interest. After two years he purchased the prop- 
erty on the corner of Spring and Charles streets and removed his greenhouse 
to thai place. After conducting the business for about two years he returned 
to the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad as a fireman and on the completion 
of his apprenticeship was promoted to the position of engineer, running an 
engine on the road for three and a half vears. He then left the railroad 
service, for his greenhouse business demanded all of his attention. About that 
time he erected two more greenhouses in Bucyrus and purchased and equipped 
a greenhouse at Nevada and three in Bucyrus, but after a time he moved 
the greenhouse from the former place to this city, combining the business so 
that he had over ten thousand feet of glass roof. He made a specialty 
of cut flowers and potted plants. Already he has an extensive and profitable 
business, but in the near future he expects to enlarge his facilities by in- 
creasing his greenhouses until he will have two thousand more feet under glass. 
The finest varieties of plants, shrubs and Mowers mav be seen here and Air. 
Norton thoroughly understands the business, making him very competent to 
conduct the extensive enterprise which he now controls. 

On the nth of July, 1878, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Norton 
and Miss Kate Anna Adams, who was born in Galion, Ohio, in October, 
[859, and is a daughter of Jacob and Margaret Adams. Five children grace 
this marriage: Myrtle Byron, born March 26, 1879; Ralph Jefferson, born 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 333 

September 17, 1880, and died May 4, 1881 ; Arthur Franklin, born Septem- 
ber 2, 1882; Fairy Elmer, born March 21, 1884; Mabel Carrie, born March 
12, 1886; and Harry James, who was born April 2, 1893. 

Mr. Norton has spent his entire life in Bucyrus and his career has been a 
useful and honorable one. Along the legitimate lines of business he has won 
splendid success. He is thoroughly conversant with the subject of horticul- 
ture, understands the needs of plants and their requirements and is not only 
able to grow and cultivate flowers, but to transact the business affairs neces- 
sary to make his labors profitable. In all his dealings he is straightforward 
and reliable and his large business is a merited success. 

Mrs. ELISABETH TEEL. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Teel, a representative of one of the old and firmly 
established families of Crawford county, was born in Liberty township, in 
this county, on July 20, 1829. She was a daughter of Horatio and Nancy 
( Link ) Markley. Horatio Markley, distinguished as one of the most power- 
ful men, physically, in Crawford county, came here from his home in Somerset 
county, Pennsylvania, where he was born in 1804, and entered a fractional 
quarter section of land (one hundred and forty-four acres) in Liberty town- 
ship, this now being the home and property of the subject of this sketch. He 
erected a log cabin on his land and spent his life here, being very prosperous 
and able to assist his children very materially. His death was in 1880, at the 
age of seventy-six. He was one of the leaders in the English Lutheran church 
and for many years prior to his death no- needy person ever applied in vain to 
him for assistance. Far and wide his charities extended and he was beloved by 
all who knew him. 

The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Teel was also a remarkable man, living 
to the age of one hundred and two years, nine months and twenty-seven days, 
and his death occurring in the house where our subject now lives, in 1864. 
His father, a veteran of the Revolutionary war, owned six hundred acres of 
land on the present site of Wheeling, and was killed by the Indians. 

Mrs. Teel was one of four children in her parents' family, the three 
survivors being: John, of Morrow county; Elisabeth, of this sketch, and 
Mathias, of Wyandot county, this state. She grew up at her parental home, 
acquiring an education in the pioneer schools, and on September 17, 1844, 
was united in marriage with Mr. George W. Teel, who during his life was 
one of the energetic and successful business men of Crawford county. 



334 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

George W. Teel was born in Ashland, Ohio, on May 16, 1821, and he 
was a son of poor but honest and industrious parents. At the age of ten years, 
having received lint a limited education, he went to work in the brick-yard of 
John Moffit, where he remained for two summers, and during the two follow- 
ing seasons drove a team on the Ohio canal. Later he engaged in farm 
work at various places in Stark county, for several years. In the meantime his 
father, John C. Teel, had removed to Guernsey county and purchased a small 
farm. George managed this property for some two years, while his father 
worked at his trade of blacksmith. In his seventeenth year he taught school 
in Wayne county during one winter, and also followed the same occupation 
in his nineteenth year. After this he attended the Ashland Academy for one 
term of five months and then engaged in clerking for one year in a general 
store, in Benton, Holmes county. In 1842 he removed to \avarre. in Stark 
county, and from April to July engaged in the business of buying horses, 
which he took to Canada and sold to the British officers. 

Air. Teel removed to Crawford county in August, 1843, and purchased 
the George \Y. Galloway farm, on which he resided to the time of his death. 
For fifteen years he taught school in Sulphur Springs and vicinity and con- 
ducted the first English school ever taught in the Broken Sword district. 
After this the residents never wished to support a German school in that lo- 
cality. In 1844, for a period of six months, he was engaged in the mercantile 
business in Sulphur Springs, with a Mr. Allen, the establishment being known 
as The Great Western Shore. In 1862 he was appointed revenue assessor of 
Crawford county and served in this capacity fo nine years, and during the 
fall of 1872 he was employed by the A. & L. E. R. R. as collecting agent for 
the corporation, continuing with the company in this capacity for three years. 

In the spring of 1 S77 Mr. Teel removed his family to Bucyrus and was 
engaged one year as assignee in settling up the business of Osman & Wood- 
side. Idie family removed to Crestline in the spring of 1878 and remained 
there some twelve months and then returned to the farm in Libert}' town- 
ship. During this time, however, Mr. Teel still continued in Bucyrus as 
a partner in a carriage establishment. He served some years as secretary of 
the Crawford County Farmers' Fire Insurance Company, and was also pur- 
chasing agent for the Ohio Central Railroad Company, being agent for this 
corporation, and also for the old A. & L. E. R. R. He secured nearly all the 
right of way for the roadbed from the coal fields to Toledo, including the 
depot grounds, which were purchased in the '70s, in that city. Mr. Teel was 
also instrumental to a great extent in securing the guarantee fund for over one 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 335 

hundred thousand dollars subscribed, in 1880, by the company, along the 
route as a local aid to its completion. With [Messrs. D. W. Swigart, 
C. Fenton, S. R. Harris and James B. Gormly, he succeeded in the enter- 
prise of getting the machine-shops bill passed by the legislature and was a 
member of many organizations requiring a man of integrity. 

. Mr. Teel died on July 19, 1889. In 1882 he had had a premonition, 
being stricken then with paralysis and then gave up his position with the 
railroads and retired to live on his farm. He enjoyed seven years of quiet 
life before the end came. He was an active member of the Republican part}', 
and had been connected with the English Lutheran church for many year . 
His death was widely lamented, as he had been one of the most public-spirited 
men that Crawford county ever possessed. Seven of his eight children still 
survive, viz.: Leander; Jared, of Mansfield; Laura L., the wife of Milton 
Ebert, of Elyria, Ohio; Ellen, the wife of Ernest Michaelis, of Spokane, 
Washington; George, of North Robinson, Ohio; Horatio M., in the electric 
light business in Seattle, Washington; and Frances, the wife of Grant Zerbe, 
■of Sandusky. Jennie, the second child, passed away. 

After the death of her husband Mrs. Teel, so badly bereaved, removed 
■to the old Markley homestead, the home of her youth. At the time of her 
father's death she purchased the property and resides upon it, very efficiently 
managing the extensive farming operations carried on there. She is a very 
intelligent lady, of superior judgment, and is one very highly esteemed in 

Crawford countv. 
J 

W. C. FRAXZ. 

W. C. Franz is a well-known resident of Bucyrus and the trainmaster for 
the Toledo & Ohio Central Railway. He represents one of the distinguished 
and honored pioneer families of the count}', the name of Franz being in- 
separably associated with the history of this section of the state. More than 
seventy years ago representatives of the name became residents of Ohio, and 
through the decades which have since been added to the cycle of the centuries 
descendants of those original ancestors in Ohio have borne their part in the 
work of progress and development in Crawford count}'. The paternal grand- 
father of our subject was a native of Hesse-Darmstadt. Germany, born in the 
year 1812. Fie acquired a good education in the schools of his native country 
and served in the army there. When a young man of twenty-five years he 
resolved to seek his fortune in America and accordingly crossed the Atlantic 



336 CEXTEXNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

to the new world, locating in Galion, Ohio, in 1837. He afterward removed 
to Leesville, this county, but spent his last days in Bucyrus, where he passed 
away in 1870. He was long a prominent factor in public affairs and his opin- 
ions carried weight and influence among the leading residents of the com- 
munity. His wurth and ability were widely recognized and led to his selec- 
tion to various positions of public trust. For nine years he filled the office of 
justice of the peace in Jackson township and in 1859 he was elected sheriff of 
Crawford county for a two-years term, in which he acceptably served and was 
then re-elected, so that he was continued in the office for four years. In 1867 
he was chosen by popular vote to the position of county treasurer and was 
acting in that capacity at the time of his death. His public and private records 
were alike above reproach. He always discharged his duties in a prompt, 
efficient and creditable manner, and in private life he displayed those manly 
qualities that ever command respect and confidence. With him friendship 
was inviolable, and the duties of the home were to him the most important 
in life. At the time of the Civil war he manifested his loyalty to his adopted 
country by entering the service as a member of the One Hundred and First 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry and became lieutenant-colonel, serving in that ca- 
pacity until he was forced to resign, owing to wounds sustained in the battle 
of Perryville. He was married in this county to Miss Jane Burwell, and unto 
them were born five children, namely : Joseph Burwell, now of Toledo, Ohio;. 
William, the father of our subject; Kate, who married John R. Clymer ; John 
S., of Tampa, Florida; and Sally, wife of Alexander Kerr, of Holmes town- 
ship. The mother of this family is still living. 

William Franz, the father of our subject, was born May 21, 1843, in 
Leesville. and attended school there until fourteen years of age, when he ac- 
companied his parents on their removal to a farm near Bucyrus. He learned 
the trade of watch-making and the jewelry business in the city and afterward 
purchased his employer's store, carrying on the enterprise for some time. Sub- 
sequently he resided in Plymouth and Cleveland, Ohio, and in Meadville, 
Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the watch and jewelry business until 1865. 
He then returned to Bucyrus, and in connection with H. J. Riblet established 
a jewelry store. In 1867 he removed to Crestline, where he entered business 
with Dr. William Pope. Here he perfected and patented a knitting machine, 
and in November, 1869, began manufacturing the machine, incorporating the 
business under the name of the Bucyrus Knitting Machine Works. In 1871 
the name was changed to the Franz & Pope Knitting Machine Company, and 
a prosperous and growing enterprise was established, the steadily increasing 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 337 

trade bringing the stockholders a good financial return upon their investment. 
Mr. Franz contiued with thee oncern until 1879, when, owing to- failing health, 
he retired, spending his remaining days in quiet and rest from labor. He was 
a prominent Mason, holding membership with Crawford Lodge, Ivanhoe Chap- 
ter, No. 117, R. A. M., and Mansfield Commandery, No. 21, K. T. He also 
became a charter member of Demas Commandery, Xo. 108, K. T. In Septem- 
ber, 1881, he was called to his final rest, and the community thereby lost one 
of its valued citizens, for he had long been an important factor in promoting 
the commercial activity, whereon depends the welfare, progress and advance- 
ment of every community. His labors resulted, not alone to his individual 
benefit, but proved of general good. He withheld his support from no move- 
ment calculated to promote the general welfare and had a public spirit and 
abiding interest in everything pertaining to his native county. 

On the 22d of January, 1868, Mr. Franz was united in marriage to Miss 
Almira Melissa Campbell, who was born in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, in 
1844, and is a daughter of John and Catherine R. (Staltz) Campbell, both of 
whom were natives of Northumberland county. Pennsylvania. They re- 
moved from the Keystone state to Byron, Ohio, in 1854 and in i860 came to 
Bucyrus. The father was a contractor and builder, and died in Loganspi >rt. 
Indiana, in 1897, at the age of seventy-eight years. When the country be- 
came involved in Civil war he responded to the president's call for aid. en- 
listing in an Ohio regiment. His death occurred about 1880, when he had 
attained the age of fifty-one years. Obediah Campbell, the great-grandfather 
of Mrs. Franz, was a native of Scotland, and on coming to America located in 
Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, where he met and married Miss Kate 
Keader. Unto William and Almira M. (Campbell) Franz were born the fol- 
lowing children: Katie J., William C. Mellie A. and Jay W. The older 
daughter is the wife of F. J. Earth, of Bucyrus, and the younger daughter is 
now a teacher in the public schools of Bucyrus and is a graduate of the high 
school. 

William Charles Franz, whose name introduces this record, was born 
in Bucyrus, March 14, 1871, and pursued his education in the public schools, 
being graduated in the high school in 1889. For four months he was with the 
United States Express Company and afterward with the Toledo & Ohio Cen- 
tral Railway. He entered the railroad service October 27, 1889, and is yet 
with the company. His first position was that of night yard clerk, was made- 
chief yard clerk on the 1st of April, 1890, and on the 1st of September, of the 
same year became clerk to the train master. On the 1st of November. 1890, 
J. F. Angell was appointed superintendent of the eastern division, with head- 



333 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

quarters at Bucyrus, and Mr. Franz was made his chief clerk, in which ca- 
pacity he remained until the ist of January, 1901, when Mr. Angell was re- 
moved to Columbus, as superintendent of the entire line, and Mr. Franz was 
given the position of train master. His promotions have come to him as the 
reward of close application, earnest and indefatigable labor and excellent 
ability, and the fact that he has been for so long retained in the sendee of one 
road is an unmistakable evidence of his fidelity. 

On the 1 8th of December, 1895, Mr. Franz was united in marriage, in 
Marion, Ohio, to Miss Josephine Harsberger. a daughter of the late Jacob H. 
Harsberger, who was a merchant of Marion. He served as a soldier in the 
Civil war and was a well-known resident of Marion county. The marriage 
of Mr. and Mrs. Franz has been blessed with one son, James N. In his po- 
litical affiliations Mr. Franz is a Democrat, and is an attendant on the services 
of the Presbyterian church. At the present time he is serving as city clerk, 
to which position he was elected, entering upon the duties of the office on the 
ist of May, 1900, for a term of two years. In the Masonic fraternity he 
is veil known as an exemplary member, has passed all of the chairs in the 
lodge, and in 1899 and 1900 filled the position of master of Trinity Lodge, of 
Bucyrus. He is also identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of 
Elks, and was exalted ruler for one year. He is a worthy representative of 
an honored pioneer family, his lines of life having been cast in harmony with 
the records left by his father and grandfather. He has many warm friends 
throughout Crawford count)-, where the family has been so long widely and 
prominently known, and no history of the community would be complete with- 
out mention of Air. Franz and his ancestors. 

JONATHAN CARMEAN. 

Jonathan Carmean, who follows farming in Crawford county, was born in 
what is now Bucyrus township, December 6. 1834, his parents being Matthew 
and Rachel ( De Long) Carmean. His grandfather was a native of the south 
and became a pioneer settler of Pickaway county, Ohio, where the father 
of our subject spent the greater part of his youth. The Carmean family is 
of French descent, while the mother of our subject represented a family of 
Pennsylvania Dutch lineage. Matthew Carmean and Rachel De Long were 
married in Pickaway county, Ohio, and soon afterward came to Crawford 
county, where he entered eighty acres of land in what was then Bucyrus town- 
ship. Soon afterward, however, he traded this for property on section 11 




ytrt^&^tfu&i^s Oposi^&t&a*-^ 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 341 

in what is now Dallas township. In his undertakings hie prospered and became 
a large land-owner, having about twelve hundred acres at one time. He made 
judicious investments in real estate and the rise in land values augmented his 
capital. Both he and his wife died in Dallas township. They were the parents 
of six children : Mrs. Mary Ann Coulter, a widow residing in Toledo ; Martha 
E., deceased; Jonathan; Elizabeth, who died in girlhood; Nelson, who died at 
the age of sixteen years; and Matthew L., a farmer of Dallas township. 

Mr. Carmean, of this review, was reared in Dallas township and pursued 
his education in the common schools. He remained with his parents until 
twenty-three years of age, at which time he married Sarah Jane Goodman, 
who died about 1890, leaving three children. The daughter, Dilla, however, 
passed away when twenty-five years of age, and Irvin died at the age of 
twenty-two. The surviving children are: Alonzo, a farmer of Bucyrus town- 
ship; Arizona, a farmer of Dallas township; and Eva, the wife of Peter Metz- 
ker, of Bucyrus township. 

During the year after his marriage Mr. Carmean located upon a farm, 
remaining there for about twelve months, when he removed to his present 
farm in Bucyrus township. He to-day owns eight hundred and thirty acres 
of valuable land, of which five hundred and seventy acres is comprised in the 
home place, which is known as the Elm Tree Farm. The latest improved ma- 
chinery, well kept fences and substantial buildings are among the leading 
features of this model farm. Mr. Carmean has engaged in raising and dealing 
in cattle and now buys and sells stock, being well known in this line of busi- 
ness throughout his portion of Ohio. He has one hundred and fifty head 
of cattle, twenty brood sows and high grades of sheep and hogs. He is 
recognized as one of the leading agriculturists of the community. Systematic 
and methodical, enterprising and progressive, and his carefully directed busi- 
ness interests have brought to him a splendid financial return. In his political 
views he is a Republican. 

GEORGE J. EBERHART. 

A prominent farmer and highly esteemed citizen of Crawford county is 
George J. Eberhart, who was born in Cranberry township, this county, on 
June 30, 1843. He was a son of George F. and Catherine ( Hunim) Eberhart. 
His father was born in Germany and his mother in Stark county. Ohio. When 
George J. was four years old his father died, and at the age of fifteen the 
son was apprenticed to John Myers, a blacksmith, for a period of three years. 



342 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

After finishing his course in this trade he worked as a journeyman for one 
year, and then with his mother and two brothers took passage for America. 
The voyage consumed forty-two days and no doubt they were glad to enter 
safely the harbor of New York. 

They knew that many of their countrymen had settled in Bucyrus, Ohio, 
and hither they came, arriving on September 14, 1832. Employment was 
soon given Mr. Eberhart as a chain-carrier for John Schliever, in laying out 
the village of Schlievertown, later Annapolis, now Sulphur Springs, and 
afterward he easily secured work of Mr. Frederick Beard, at his trade. Later 
he went to Harrisburg, Stark county, Ohio, thence to Louisville, in the same- 
county, and there conducted a blacksmith shop for himself, remaining in 
business there until his marriage on February 14, 1834, to Miss Catherine 
Humm. To this union seven children were born, the four survivors being: 
Mary, the wife of John Ulmer, of Cranberry township; Elizabeth, the wife of 
Frederick Yieter, of Kent county, Michigan; our subject; and Christina, the 
wife of Adam Keplinger, of Chatfield township. 

Following his marriage Mr. Eberhart purchased a small tract of land, 
but two years later he sold this and removed to> Liberty township, in Crawford 
county, where he bought a small farm and immediately began its improve- 
ment. For some years he continued to operate this farm, and to also work at 
his trade, but then returned to Stark county and purchased a fine farm of 
one hundred acres. Two years later found him back in Crawford county, 
and at this time he located on a farm in Cranberry township, on which he 
remained for thirty-four years. During this time he dealt extensively in real 
estate in Cranberry township, but later he removed to Holmes township and 
became the owner of one of the best improved farms in the county- He died 
in May, 1901, in Chatfield township, at the- home of his daughter. He was 
an active member of the Albright church for many years, but in later life 
advancing age prevented his attendance upon the services. In early life he 
was for several years a "local preacher" in the German Lutheran church. 

George J. Eberhart grew to manhood on the farm, but had few educa- 
tional advantages. In 1865 occurred his marriage to Miss Elizabeth Schieber, 
who was born in Liberty township, and was a daughter of Gottleib Schieber, 
who was one of the old pioneers of this county and of Liberty township. 
Five children were born to our subject and wife, these being: John B., at 
home; Matilda, the wife of Rev. Joseph Mack, of Oshkosh, AYisconsin; Mary, 
the wife of Adam BittikofTer, of Liberty township; and Oma and Orlando 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 343 

F., at home. Mrs. Eberhart died September 4, 1900, at the age of fifty-two 
years. 

During the two years following our subject's marriage he cultivated a 
tract of land for his father, which comprised eighty acres, in Cranberry town- 
ship, and then came to Holmes township and rented the farm which is now 
owned by Georg-e Orthwein. Here our subject and family lived but one 
year, removing then to his most desirable home property at the expiration of 
that time. This farm is considered one of the most valuable ones in the county 
and has received most intelligent cultivation. It consists of one hundred and 
ten acres and is well improved. 

Mr. Eberhart is a Republican, believing firmly in the principles of that 
party, and is a member and liberal supporter of the German Methodist church,, 
to which his wife also belonged. Few men in the county enjoy more fully 
the esteem of the community than does George J. Eberhart. 

HARRISON SMITH. 

Few employes of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad have 
been longer in the service of the company than Harrison Smith, a well-known 
and popular conductor living in Crestline. He was born in Holmes county, 
Ohio, December 20, 1841. His father, Jonathan Smith, also a native of the 
Buckeye state, was a farmer by occupation, born in 181 5. He is still living, 
his home being now on Turman's creek, in Sullivan county, Indiana. He 
married Miss Sarah Slagie, a native of Ohio, born in 1817, and she is also 
living. This worthy couple became the parents of eleven children, of whom 
ten reached years of maturity, while eight still survive. 

Harrison Smith, of this review, was the third child and was reared upon 
the old homestead farm in his native count}-, his time being devoted to 
the work of the field and meadow and in mastering the branches of English 
learning, as taught in the schools near his home. He assisted his father on 
the farm during the summer time until twenty years of age, but not desiring 
to follow the plow as a life work, he then made other arrangements, becoming 
a brakeman on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, running be- 
tween Crestline and Alliance. He was upon that train from 1865 until 1869, 
when he was promoted to the position of conductor, and thus served until 
1885. His run was then changed from Crestline to Conway, Pennsylvania, 
and on that route he remained for four years, when he was sent through to 
the outer depot in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. However, he was afterward re- 



344 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

turned to the Conway run and since that time has been continued upon the 
road between Crestline and Pittsburg. He is the oldest conductor on the road, 
having been in the employ of the company for forty years. 

In 1867 occurred the marriage of Harrison Smith and Miss Emma Wig- 
gins, who was born near Loudonville, Ashland county, Ohio. They had eight 
children, of whom seven are yet living, namely : Mattie, wife of G. O. Davis, 
of Crestline, Ohio; Roy, who married Laura Smetzer and is living in Crest- 
line; Xettie; Archie; Lewis; Otto; and May. Of this number Otto is a clerk 
in the railway office. Archie is a boilermaker for the Pittsburg, Fort Wavne 
& Chicago Railroad Company. Lewis is a fireman in the employ of the same 
company; and Roy is airbrake inspector on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chi- 
cago road. 

Mr. Smith has made Crestline his home since 1861, the vear in which he 
entered the railway service. Fie is a Republican in politics and carried Major 
McKinley in his caboose from Alliance to Canton when the Major was gov- 
ernor of this state. Mr. Smith tells how the president took his razor and 
shaved himself when the train was running at twenty miles an hour. Mr. 
Smith is a member of the Volunteer Relief Association and the Order of Rail- 
way Conductors. In all of his long and varied experience on the road he has 
never had a collision. He has run on one caboose for twenty-one years and 
is still in charge. He is most painstaking and reliable in the performance of 
his duties and enjoys the unqualified confidence and trust of his superiors. All 
who know him entertain for him high regard, for he possesses many excellent 
characteristics and is truly worthy of the friendship and esteem of his fellow 
men. 

PHILIP SCHULER. 

Philip Schuler, who is a well-known representative of various reliable 
insurance companies and is regarded as one of the enterprising citizens of 
Galion, was born in Kenzingen, Baden, Germany, in 1853. his parents being 
Philip and Mary Anna (Vogt) Schuler. The father was born in Ebringen, 
near Freiburg, Baden, in 1809, and the mother's birth occurred in Dorsenheim, 
near Heidelberg", in 1821. Their eldest son, William Schuler, is now a pro- 
fessor in the University of Bavaria. Another son, Edward Schuler, is a 
prominent railroad official in Carlsruhe in Baden. Mannheim, Baden, is the 
residence of Carl Schuler, a third brother, who is a manager in the transporta- 
tion department of foreign shipping for that district. Emil is in Saratow, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 345 

Russia, where he is extensively engaged in the manufacture of agricultural 
implements and motors and has a large plant there, employing two hundred 
men. At a former date he was a civil engineer on a Russian railroad. One 
of the brothers, Gustave Schuler, was engaged in the brewing business in 
Chicago, Illinois, and died in 1874, leaving a widow, Mrs. Johanna Schuler. 
One of the daughters of the family. Anna, became the wife of Carl Schreiber, 
of Donaueschingen,' Baden, where he is engaged in the confectionerv business. 
Louisa is the wife of R. F. Kleeman, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin ; and Rosa is 
the wife of Fred Amann. a grocer of Galion, Ohio. The parents of this 
family have both passed away, the father having died in 1882, at the age of 
seventy-three years, while the mother's death occurred in 1898, when she was 
seventy-eight years of age. 

Mr. Schuler, whose name introduces this record, attended the schools of 
the fatherland until thirteen years of age and then crossed the Atlantic to 
America, where he continued his education for two years. On the expiration 
of that period he went to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was engaged in the 
confectionery business, and in 1873 he came to Galion, being then a young 
man of twenty years. Here he conducted a hotel until 1877, when he opened 
a grocery store, carrying on that enterprise until 1893, when he became agent 
eral well-known and reliable life, fire and accident insurance com- 
panies. As a representative of those firms be is now carrying on business, an- 
nually writing many policies. He has also been quite prominent in public 
affairs and his worth and ability have frequently led to his selection for office. 
In 1883 he was elected to the council of Galion, and was president of the coun- 
cil from 1885 until 1887. In the latter year he was elected to the state legis- 
lature, where he served his district so acceptably that he was re-elected in 
1889. He was one of the active working members of the bouse, laboring 
earnestly to secure the passage of those' measures and bills which were intro- 
duced and which he believed would prove of benefit to the commonwealth. He 
himself introduced several important measures and left the impress of his 
individuality upon the state during the term of his service. At the present 
time he is a member of the Galion city board of equalization. He still takes 
an active interest in politics and is heartily in sympathy with Democratic prin- 
ciples, believing that they contain the best elements of good government. 

In Galion Air. Schuler was united in marriage to Miss Anna M. Amann, 
a daughter of George Amann, a retired farmer living in Galion. The}- now 
have seven children: R. F. is the manager and a stockholder in the Emil 
Schuler Manufacturing Company, of Saratow, Russia. In the spring of 



346 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

1 90 1 R. F. bought out the Emil Schiller Manufacturing Company. He ac- 
quired his education in Galion and there learned the machinist's trade. In 
October, 1900, he married Eliza Ehrt. The second son, H. R. Schiiler, was 
educated in Galion, is now a law student in Leyton University and acting as 
clerk in the census department at Washington, D. C. \Y. J. is employed as a 
machinist by the Erie Railroad Company at Galion. Laura, Estella, Marie and 
Catherine, the daughters of the family, are all at home. Mr. Schuler and his 
family are communicants of the German Catholic church and he belongs to the 
Catholic Knights of Ohio and the Catholic Knights of America, being presi- 
dent of the Galion branch of the latter. 

HENRY LEIMENSTOLL. 

Competence comes to the industrious and thrifty, and there is no element 
in the American nation in which these traits are more conspicuous than the 
German. Among the highly esteemed citizens of Holmes township, of Ger- 
man birth, is Henry Leimenstoll, who was born in Baden, German}', on Feb- 
ruary 21, 1831, a son of Christian and Catherine (Silmen) Leimenstoll. There 
were two children of his parents, but our subject is the only survivor. The 
birth of Christian Leimenstoll was in Baden, Germany, in 1800, and he was 
there taught the trade of shoemaker. In Germany he married, and there both 
of his children were born. About 1834 he emigrated to America with his 
family, the hope of a more comfortable life, with, its compensations, urging the 
breaking of old ties. No loitering was done in New York City, the family 
coming immediately to Sandusky, Ohio. There the mother and children re- 
mained for six weeks, while Mr. Leimenstoll looked for a suitable location. 

With his brother-in-law, George Silmen, who came in the same vessel, 
he finally bought a farm of sixty acres, on the site of Scudder's Station, and 
here they lived until the following spring, when he sold his interest to Mr. 
Silmen and came on into Crawford county. He located one and one-fourth 
miles southeast of Chatheld, in Chatfield township, where he purchased forty 
acres of land, and here he built a hewed-log house in the forest. Rude and 
rough it was, but in it was the comfort of a home. In subsequent years he 
purchased a farm of eighty acres some four miles southwest of his home farm, 
but continued to make his home on his pioneer land until his death, in his 
sixty-fourth year. The mother survived until December 29, 1887, and died 
in her eighty-ninth vear. Mr. Leimenstoll was a consistent member of a re- 
ligious body, and was an industrious and worthy man. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 347 

Henry Leimenstoll passed his boyhood and youth on the farm always 
finding something to do and cheerfully performing the duties which fell upon 
him, as the only boy of the family. On January 28, 1858, he was united in 
marriage with Sophia Linn, a native of Holmes township, the daughter of 
William and Sophia (Veivle) Linn. 

After marriage the young couple settled down to domestic life on the 
home farm, and the parents lived with them until they passed out of life. In 
1866 Henry purchased his present home farm of one hundred and twenty acres 
and exchanged the old parental home farm for the eighty acres located across 
the road from the new purchase. Later he bought forty acres and now owns 
two hundred and forty acres, on each side of the road, some of the best farm- 
ing land in the county. Fourteen children were born to .Air. and Mrs. Leimen- 
stoll, and twelve of these survive, viz.: Mary A., the wife of Henry Geiss- 
man, of Cranberry township, this county; Christian, of Whetstone township- 
Sophia, the wife of Charles Geissman, of Chatfield township; John and Jacob' 
of this township; Sarah, the wife of Wesley Krauter, of Liberty township \ 
and Anna, Lydia, Daniel, Reuben, Martha and Louisa, all at home. The 
deceased children, Caroline and Catherine, died in childhood. Like his fa- 
ther, he inclines toward the Democratic party in politics. He is a member 
of the Pietist church, and is one of the thoroughly trusted and esteemed citi- 
zens of this section of the county. 

HIRAM I-. SMITH. 

Hiram E. Smith, the subject of this sketch, was bom in Erie county 
Ohio, on the 21st day of February. 1866. His parents were Welding e' 
Smith and Charlotte ( Ashton) Smith. On the paternal side we find his an- 
cestors on one side expelled from north France on account of religious differ- 
ences among the people at that time, and emigrating to America in the year 
i/43 and settling in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. On the other side" his 
father's ancestors were English. They settled in and around Norwalk and 
Derby, Connecticut, early in the country's history. Here we find them fighting 
Indians and later doing good service against the British during the war for 
independence. On the maternal side his ancestors were all English. His 
grandparents, Thomas Ashton and Mary (Edgar) Ashton, emigrated to this 
country as children from England with their parents early in the nineteenth 
century and settled in Huron county, Ohio. On both sides his ancestors were 
prosperous and enterprising people. 



348 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

In the spring of 1866 his parents removed to Monroeville, Ohio, where 
his father engaged in the manufacture of agricultural implements. At the age 
of six he entered the public school at Monroeville, graduating from that insti- 
tution in the spring of 1885. After teaching school for two years he decided 
to try his fortune in the west, and on the 4th of July, 1887, landed at Oberlin, 
Decatur o unty, Kansas. During the following' September he settled on a 
quarter section of government land, when there was no- house within sight of 
his. The wolves and coyotes were plentiful and made the nights hideous 
around his sod house. Antelopes were seen occasionally, and jack rabbits 
were common. Here he lived alone, boarded himself and taught school, riding 
from fifteen to twenty miles daily to and from school. During that winter the 
thermometer registered lower than twenty-seven degress below zero, Fahr., 
for six straight weeks. During the following March he proved up on his 
claim, and by payine one dollar and a quarter per acre received a government 
patent for one hundred and sixty acres of land. 

In October, 1889, he returned to Ohio and went into business with his 
brother at Monroeville, Ohio, manufacturing bent wood and hardwood lumber. 
Here he remained until May, 1893, when he came to Gabon, Crawford county, 
Ohio, bought out the stockholders of the Weaver Bending Company, manufac- 
turers of bent felloes, spokes and hardwood lumber, and has successfully carried 
011 the above business for the past eight years. 

On the 14th day of June, 1894, he was united in marriage to Miss Harriet 
G. Fish, daughter of George S. and Frances (Buckingham) Fish, of Mon- 
roeville, Ohio. Two children bless the union, a boy and a girl, Walter and 
Do-rothy. 

He is a Republican in politics, a member of the Episcopal church, a thirty- 
second degree Mason and an upright, honorable and respected citizen. 

MAJOR EDMUND ROBERTS KEARSLEY. 

The history of a state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly the chronicle 
of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon 
society. The world judges the character of a community by that of its repre- 
sentative citizens, and yields its tribute of admiration and respect for the 
genius, learning or virtues of those whose works and actions constitute the 
ird of a state's prosperity and pride; and it is in their character, as exem- 
plified in probity and benevolence, kindly virtues and integrity in the affairs 
of life, are ever affording worth} - examples for emulation and valuable lessons 




o 




CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 351 

of incentive. Major E. Roberts Kearsley was lung recognized as one of the 
most distinguished and honored citizens of Bucyrus and Crawford county, 
and maintaining deep interest in the affairs of life until called away in death. 
He led a long, honorable and useful career, which was an aid and inspiration to 
which occurred February 21, 1901, at the advanced age of eighty-five years, 
his fellow men and well worthy of emulation. 

Fortunate is the man who has back of him an ancestry honorable and 
distinguished, and to be praised is he who has cast his lines of life in harmony 
therewith. In person, in character and in talents Major Edmund Roberts 
Kearsley was a a worthy scion of his race. Though his life was one rather 
of modest reserve than of ambitious self-seeking, he was a peer of many of 
the most prominent men in the state, and in his adopted county he was a lead- 
ing figure in promoting the interests calculated to advance the material, in- 
tellectual and moral advancement of the communitv. 

Major Kearsley was a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred 
in Harrisburg, on the 18th of May. 1816, his parents being Jonathan and 
Margaret (Hetich) Kearsley. His mother died in 1821 and he then went to 
live with his grandfather. Samuel Kearsley, at Paxton, Pennsylvania. The 
latter had served as a captain in the Revolutionary war, under the immediate 
command of General Washington, of whom he was a great favorite, and in 
the possession of our subject's family is a sword, which was worn by Wash- 
ington at General Braddock's defeat, in 1755. It is a three-edged Mint rapier, 
on which is engraved : 

"Draw me not without reason : 
Sheathe me not without honor." 

At Valley Forge, during the war of the Revolution, while the American 
soldiers were suffering for food and clothing during the severe and memorable 
winter there. Captain Kearsley and his wife presented the troops with all the 
flour and meat they could possibly spare from their own larder. Washington 
was deeply touched by this and ordered the troops paraded at headquarters, 
and, calling Captain Kearsley from the ranks, personally thanked him, com- 
mended his past bravery and his late generous act, and unbuckling the sword 
which he wore, presented it to- the Captain. This weapon passed into the 
possession of Major Kearsley and was highly prized by him. 

Jonathan Kearsley, the father of our subject, was born in Middletown, 
Pennsylvania, August 20. 1786, and at the age of twenty-five was graduated 
in Washington College, now Washington and Jefferson College, of Wash- 

19 



352 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ington, Pennsylvania. He was a man of superior intellectual attainments 
and for a time was professor of languages in his alma mater. In the war of 
1812 he served as a captain, becoming a member of the staff of General Win- 
field Scott and participated in the engagements around Lake Erie. August 
20, 1814, he was commissioned assistant adjutant general, with the rank of 
major. The loss of a leg caused his retirement in September, 1814. He was 
appointed, in 181 7, collector of inland revenues in Pennsylvania, holding the 
position until 1820, when he went to Detroit as receiver of public moneys 
and as a member of the land board, serving in those capacities until 1849, when 
he retired to private life. As a citizen he contributed in large measure to the 
improvement and upbuilding of Detroit and at one time filled the position of 
mayor. His name is inseparably connected with the history of the early de- 
velopment and progress of Detroit and he won for himself a high place in 
the esteem and regard of his fellow men. 

Major Kearsley remained with his paternal grandfather at Paxton. Penn- 
sylvania, until 1825, when he joined his father in Detroit and there entered 
the public school, which in those days was held in the ofricers* quarters in- 
side the stockade. At recess the students extracted much amusement from 
climbing over the pickets. The Major also pursued his education in Utica, 
New York, and from 1829 until j 832 was a student in Kenyon College. Ohio. 
He then went to Detroit as assistant receiver in the Michigan land office, 
under his father. He was so efficient that Major John Biddle, register of the 
land office, requested his removal to his department and made him chief clerk, 
in which service the Major continued until 1840, when failing health caused 
his retirement. Believing that he would be benefited by outdoor life, he then 
took up Iris abode upon a farm of six hundred acres in Oakland county, Michi- 
gan, where he remained until 1847. His health being fully restored, he re- 
turned to Detroit and among other things superintended the construction of 
the Biddle house. Descended from military ancestry, he possessed the same 
spirit of loyalty and patriotism that prompted his grandfather's service in the 
war of the Revolution, and his father's aid in the war of 1812. He was active 
in organizing the Brady Guards and became captain of his company. The 
organization was named in honor of General Hugh Brady, commander of the 
United States forces, and General Scott pronounced the guards the best drilled 
company under his inspection. During the Canadian rebellion of 1837-8 the 
guards were called into active service, which continued a vear and a half. 
The company was composed of the best young men of Detroit, and during 
the severe winter campaign in protecting the border their services were so thor- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 353 

•oughly performed and hardships so well borne as to elicit the highest praise 
from General Brady. Many years later this general, while driving in Detroit, 
was thrown from a carriage and sustained injuries from which he died. Major 
Kearsley, who in the meantime had left the city, on hearing of the General's 
death, returned, and, calling the old Brady Guards together again for the last 
time, now composed of the solid business men of the city, o unmanded them 
as a guard of honor in escorting the remains of the brave General to his last 
resting place in Elwood cemetery. 

Major Kearsley was for many years secretary of the Detroit fire depart- 
ment and was also appointed quartermaster of the state. In that capacity he 
served with Captain U. S. Grant, then stationed in Detroit. He remembered 
the future president and brilliant military commander as a mild and unassum- 
ing officer. In his younger days Major Kearsley was a thorough sportsman 
and Crawford county, Ohio, was his favorite hunting ground. During those 
expeditions he formed many pleasant acquaintances in the then newly settled 
country about Bucyrus, and in 1851 he took up his residence in the city, en- 
tering the office of his uncle, Charles Hetich, who was then county treasurer. 
In 1852 the Major became deputy auditor under A. M. Jackson. The follow- 
ing year he was elected county auditor and was re-elected for a second term. 
At the end of that time he was nominated by both parties for a third term, a 
compliment never before or since conferred upon a single official in Craw- 
ford county. During his service in the office the court house and jail were 
erected. It is needless to say that he was most faithful and capable, as his 
re-elections indicate this. In 1861 Major Kearsley retired from office, but 
ever afterward retained an active interest in public affairs, often assisting 
county officials in the settlement of questions requiring a ripe experience. 
Through a long period he was a member of the board of education and did 
much to advance the interests of the schools. In 1862 he was appointed draft 
officer for this county, where the draft was somewhat bitterly opposed and 
(trouble was feared, but Major Kearsley took personal charge and the con- 
fidence of the people in his integrity quieted the bitter feeling. In later years 
much of his time was given to- business interests in Detroit and elsewhere. 
Often he was called upon to preside at public meetings, which were held in 
the interests of the city and all improvements found in him a cordial supporter 
and generous contributor. In his quiet acts of Christian charity he had a faith- 
ful assistant in his wife and their acts of benevolence were many, yet per- 
formed in true unostentation. The Major was a veteran of the Kearsley 
Cadets, a well drilled company composed of the best young men of the 



354 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

county seat. The Bucyrus Memorial Library, to perpetuate the memory of the 
soldiers and sailors of the Civil war, received his moral and financial support, 
and it was largely through his instrumentality that the library was placed 
on a safe financial footing. It stands to-day among the last of his many suc- 
cessful acts for the benefit of the citizens. 

On the 27th of June, 1857, Major Kearsley was united in marriage to Miss 
Martha C. Sweney, a daughter of the Hon. Geroge Sweney, a member of 
congress. They had one child, a daughter, who became the wife of Elmer 
L. White, and her only daughter is Margaret Sarah. Mrs. Kearsley died 
February 25, 1874, and on the 7th of September, 1875, Major Kearsley was 
again married, his second union being with Miss Susan I. Phillips, then of 
Geneseo, Illinois, but formerly of Bucyrus. He was connected with various 
fraternal and social organization. He was a member of the Sons of the 
American Revolution and took great interest in its work. Prominent in 
Masonic circles, he was for several years master of Bucyrus Lodge and was 
a member of the chapter and commandery. He was also identified with the 
independent Order of Odd Fellows, and passed all the chairs of the subor- 
dinate lodge, and Kearsley Encampment, of Bucyrus, was named in his honor. 
A man of strong integrity and honesty of purpose, he despised all unworthy or 
questionable means to secure success in any undertaking or for any purpose, 
or to promote his own advancement in any direction, whether politically or 
otherwise. Not even the tongue of calumny ever uttered a word to the con- 
trary, nor did the malevolence of detraction dare to assail his private reputa- 
tion. He was an earnest and consistent Christian, a member of the Pres- 
byterian church, and of the same faith as were his father, grandfather and 
many generations before them. It is our duty to mark our appreciation of 
such a man — a man true in every relation of life, faithful to even- trust, a 
citizen diligent in the service of his country and seeking only the public good. 

NATHAN LUST. 

Nathan Lust, who resides in Liberty township, was born in Lykens town- 
ship, on the 30th of September, 1861. His father, Frederick Lust, was a na- 
tive of Wurtemberg, Germany, born December 24, 1813, and during his 
childhood he came to America with his parents. After a short stay in Penn- 
sylvania the family removed to Marion county, Ohio, where the grandparents 
ti ( k up their abode, and as the sons, Caleb, Conrad and Frederick, attained 
sufficient aye and strength, thev secured work on the Columbus & Sandusky 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 355 

turnpike. In this way they earned the capital which they later invested in land, 
each securing a farm of one hundred and sixty acres early in the '30s. Caleb, 
who was married, and Frederick Lust came to Crawford county with their 
household effects loaded in a wagon, and on reaching Chatfield township, 
they located on a farm in the forest. Caleb there entered one hundred and 
sixtv acres of land and erected a cabin as quickly and as cheaply as possible, 
while Frederick Lust, who was preparing for the ministry, boarded with his 
brother and sister-in-law. He adopted the ministry as his life work and for 
thirty years engaged in preaching the gospel. Although he was not a member 
of an}- organized church, he gained many followers through his teachings, his 
wonderful personality and his clear presentation of the truths of Christianity, 
and erected what was known as the Lust church. In recent years the old 
house of worship was torn down and a substantial brick church was erected, 
which is still known by the old name. Rev. Lust was a man of wonderful 
memory, of strong mentality and of unquestioned fidelity to the principles in 
which he believed and which he taught. He labored among his fellow men 
for their own good and upbuilding of the cause and never sought remunera- 
tion for his work in the church. Some time after his arrival in Crawford 
county he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land of Robert Knott, 
who was the original settler of the place. The farm was located in Lykens 
■township and there he resided up to the time of his death, which occurred in 
1883. In his political views he was a Democrat and he gave his hearty co- 
operation to every movement or measure which he believed would prove of 
public benefit. In early manhood he married Miss Sophia Beal, who was 
born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, June 1, 1821, a daughter of Michael 
and Sophia Beal, both of whom were natives of Germany, but became early 
settlers of Crawford county. Mrs. Lust passed away December 23, 1864, 
when our subject was only four years of age, and the father afterward mar- 
ried Miss Dorothy Gross, who still survives him, and is now the widow of 
Ernest Wilhelm. Unto the parents of Nathan Lust were born nine children, 
five of whom are yet living, namely : Lydia, the wife of Frederick Hieber, 
of Liberty township; Sophia, the widow of Martin Durr, of Chatfield town- 
ship; Louisa, wife of Charles Lindner, of Valparaiso, Indiana; Emanuel, who 
is living in Holmes township; and Nathan. 

In taking up the personal history of Nathan Lust we learn that his boy- 
hood days were spent under the refining influences of a good Christian home 
and there was received the foundation for his upright character and his useful 
career. His literarv education was obtained in the common schools. On 



3 56 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the 25th of September. 1884, be married Miss Catherine S. Klopfenstein, a 
daughter of Isaac Klopfenstein, a prominent merchant and stock man of 
Sulphur Springs. The young couple began their domestic life upon his fa- 
ther's farm, which Mr. Lust rented until 1889. when he removed to Sulphur 
Springs, and. in partnership with his father-in-law, purchased the flouring 
mill at that place, carrying on the enterprise for three years, after which they 
exchanged the mill for one hundred and sixty acres of land, known as the 
"Old Fry" farm, just north of the town. To this place Mr. Lust removed, 
making it his home, and after the death of his father-in-law in 1898, he pur- 
chased it in partnership with the Keller brothers, cultivating the place for 
one year. On the expiration of that period he sold his interest in the farm 
and purchased his present home of forty-one acres in Liberty township. He 
also owns forty-eight acres in Sandusky township, which has been his property 
for the past ten years. 

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Lust has been blessed with four children, 
of whom three are yet living, namely : Wilbert Lee, Frederick I. and Lloyd 
E. The daughter. Lulu L., who was the third in order of birth, is now de- 
ceased. Mr. Lust keeps well informed on the political issues of the day and 
votes with the Democracy, but he has never been a politician in the sense of 
an office-seeker, although he served for twelve years as school director. He be- 
longs to the German Reformed church, in which he has held the office of 
deacon and elder for several years, and for five years he served as superin- 
tendent of the Sunday-school. By all who know him he is highly esteemed as- 
one of the representative men of his community, honored for his sterling worth 
and respected for his social and friendly nature. 

JOSEPH W. OUAINTANCE. 

A highly esteemed farmer of Holmes township, Crawford county, is Jo- 
seph YV. Ouaintance, who was born in Steubenville, Jefferson count}', Ohio, on 
August 31, 1828. a son of Fisher and Sarah (Irey) Ouaintance, and was a 
member of a family of ten children, viz : Ann, who, as the widow of Henry 
Peasely, recently died at Ada, Ohio; Eli P., who was a respected citizen and 
prosperous farmer of Flolmes township, is also deceased ; Susanna, win >■ mar- 
ried John Talbott. is also dead; Hannah died in childhood; Ira died at New- 
ton, Iowa; Dawson is a resident of Putnam county, Ohio; Joseph \Y., our 
subject; Charles and George, twins, the latter being deceased and the former a 
resident of Bluffton, Allen county, Ohio; and the last of the children, Sarah 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 357 

Jane, is also deceased. Fisher Quaintance was born in Cumberland county, 
Pennsylvania, on October 12, 1793. a son of Joseph and Susanna Quaintance, 
of German ancestry, who removed to Jefferson county, Ohio, when their son 
Fisher was a young- man. Here the latter married and six of his children 
were born. In 1829, with his family and his parents, he removed to Crawford 
county, Ohio, settling in Holmes township. The grandfather entered forty 
acres of land, the father one hundred and sixty acres, and his brothers Eli and. 
Samuel each one hundred and sixty acres, and his brother William eighty 
acres, all of these tracts in mutual contiguity, forming a settlement of the name 
of Quaintance, and here all of the original members of that settlement lived 
and died on their farms. On each tract was erected the pioneer log cabin, in 
the forest, the father of our subject finishing his in one week, although he was 
obliged to work through rain and snow. The little settlement prospered, and 
from it came men and women who have been identified with much of the devel- 
opment and progress of this county. 

Fisher Quaintance was a cooper by trade and pursued it in connection with 
his farming for some years in Crawford county. The mother was a most 
worthy helpmate in those pioneer days, and while all praise should be given 
those courageous men who faced hardship and toil for the sake of their de- 
scendants, how sympathetic should grow the heart over the pioneer mothers! 
It was not alone the industry of Fisher Quaintance which produced such ex- 
cellent results and furnished not only the necessities but also the comforts of 
life to a large family, for every hour was spent by the busy mother, if not in 
household tasks, in the spinning and weaving which provided the family 
clothing and the bedding needed through the long winters. Until his fifteenth 
year our subject never had any clothing that had not been made by her untiring 
hands. Fisher Quaintance died in 1866, having been a Whig in early days 
but later a Republican. His religious belief was that of the Quaker, and his 
honest, upright and peaceful life was a practical illustration of his religion. 
His testimony was against war, but he cheerfully contributed to provide sub- 
stitutes during the Rebellion for Holmes township. The mother, a native of 
Loudoun county, Virginia, was born on January 25, 1792, a daughter of Philip 
and Hannah Irey, and on the maternal side was a second cousin to the famous 
John Brown. 

Our subject grew to manhood in his home and obtained his education in 
the schools of his locality. After reaching his majority he began to engage in 
farming on the home place, on shares, but that year agricultural conditions 
were poor, resulting in bad crops. In 1852 Mr. Quaintance purchased two 



35« CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

hundred sheep and put them on the farm. For the first shearing he received 
fifty cents a pound, and with this money he bought his present farm of one 
hundred and three acres, and since then has continually prospered. 

Mr. Ouaintance was married on March 17. 1853, to Lucina L. Gidley, a 
native of Dartmouth, Bristol county, Massachusetts, the daughter of Charles 
and Bathsheba (O'Kelly) Gidley, both of them natives of Massachusetts and 
prominent members of the sect of Quakers. The mother died in Massachu- 
setts, and then the father removed to Crawford count)', Ohio, in 1850, married 
again, and fifteen years later removed to Henry county, Ohio, where he died. 

The children horn to Mr. Ouaintance and wife were: Bathsheba G., who 
married John Eaton, of Kansas City, Missouri, once a prominent member of 
the Kansas legislature; Isadore B., the widow of William P. Brown, w1k> re- 
sides with her parents; Edith M., who married and is now the widow of Dr. 
E. B. Simmons, of Los Angeles. California; Ira E., a prominent farmer of 
Dallas township, this count}-; Lemert, a miller in Toledo, Ohio; Cora E., who 
is the wife of W. A. Sherer, of the Provident Loan Company, of Toledo; and 
Howard J., who also resides in Toledo. 

Mr. Ouaintance is one of the leading Republicans of this section of the 
countw and for several years has been a member of the election board. His 
religious belief is that taught him by his beloved mother, but he attends and 
assists in supporting the Lutheran church with his estimable wife. 



HEXRY ALTSTAETTER. 

Henry Altstaetter, for years one of the most public-spirited citizens 
and prominent business men of Galion, died in 1900. mourned by a very 
large circle of friends. He was born in Germany. July 9, 1843, an( l was 
a son of Frederick and Susannah Altstaetter. His parents came to this 
country in 1851, and his father, who was a minister of the gospel, located 
with his family in Allen count}-. Ohio. He was not dependent upon his 
ministerial labors, however, for the support of his family of eleven children, 
as is shown by his purchase of a quarter section of school land near West: 
Cairo. There the family resided for nearly a decade, when the}- removed 
to Delphos, Allen county, which was their home until the death of the fa- 
ther, which occurred in 1883. when he was eightv-one vears of age. A few 
years later the mother died. 

Henrv Altstaetter received only such educational advantages as were 





m, 



CENTEX X I AL BIOGRAPHIC AE HISTORY. 361 

afforded by the common schools near his home, and then was enabled to 
pursue his studies only through the winter season, for throughout the re- 
mainder of the year his services were needed in the cultivation and improve- 
ment of the farm. After the inauguration of the Civil war he offered his 
services to the government, enlisting in Company K, Sixty-sixth Illinois 
Infantry, and with his regiment he participated in some of the most hotly- 
contested battles of that sanguinary conflict. During his three years' service 
Mr. Altstaetter never lost a day from sickness or wounds. He took part 
with his regiment in the siege of Corinth, the battles of Iuka and Chatta- 
nooga, the Atlanta campaign and Sherman's march to the sea, and at 
Pulaski he veteranized, continuing with his command until the cessation of 
hostilities. He was one of the most popular "boys" of the regiment and 
was most loyal and true, being ever found at his post of duty, whether it 
was on the picket line or the firing line. The patriotic spirit and good fel- 
lowship which distinguished him in the great civil conflict seems to have 
fallen on the shoulders of his son Frederick, now a lieutenant with the regu- 
lar troops in the Philippines. 

Mr. Altstaetter was married September 25, 1865, to Hedwig Jettinger, 
of Delphos, and to them were born the following children: Henrietta A., 
now the wife of Frederick Berry; Louisa F. ; Lina; Carolina M. ; Emma C. ; 
Frederick W. : Hedwig and Ida H. W. 

Air. Altstaetter conducted a brewery at Delphos until 1877, when he 
removed to Upper Sandusky. A few years later he assumed charge of the 
Galion brewery, which he successfully managed until his death. When he 
took control of the enterprise it was in the hands of an assignee and trustees. 
From the first his wise business judgment enabled him to put it on a firm 
basis, and in a brief period he had absolute control of the plant. He also 
became identified with many other business interests of Galion, including 
the Citizens' National Bank. Quiet and unassuming in manner, he was, 
nevertheless, a power in the business community, and no project of any im- 
portance to the city's prosperity was discussed without the counsel and ad- 
vice of Mr. xA-ltstaetter, while no subscription paper was circulated, either 
to help a new enterprise or a deserved charity, that secured a larger con- 
tributor than he. Modest, quiet and retiring, he nevertheless exerted a 
strong influence for good along many lines, and he enjoyed the friendship 
and regard of young and old, rich and poor. His death, which occurred in 
1900, came as a shock to the entire community, and his funeral was attended 



362 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

by a large concourse of people, many of whom came from Allen and Wyan- 
dot counties, where he had previously lived, to pay their last tribute of respect 
to one whom they had loved and honored. 

JOHN MICHELFELDER. 

There is no element which has entered into our composite national fabric 
that has been of more practical strength, value and utility than that furnished 
by the sturdy, persevering and honorable sons of Germany ; and in the progress 
of our Union this element has played an important part. Intensely practical 
and ever having a clear comprehension of the ethics of life, the German con- 
tingent has wielded a powerful influence, and this service cannot be held in 
light estimation by those who appreciate true civilization and true advance- 
ment. 

The subject of this review comes from stanch German stock. He was 
born, however, in New Washington, September 6, 1847, anc ^ ^ s a son °f J onn 
and Frederica ( Utz) Michelfelder. His father was born in Wurtemberg, Ger- 
many. October 5, 1818, and there spent his youth, during which period he 
learned the trade of a shoemaker. In the spring of 1846 he came to the United 
States, landing in New York, whence he proceeded by boat to Albany, thence 
by canal to Buffalo and on to Sandusky by way of lake Erie. At the 
last named place he worked at his trade as a. journeyman until the spring of 
1847, when he came to New Washington, Crawford county, and soon after- 
ward opened a shop of his own. In 1863 he put in a general line of manu- 
factured shoes, and in 1870 admitted Ins son John to a partnership in the busi- 
ness. In 1873 the father withdrew, being succeeded by his son Jacob, and in 
1 88 1 the father retired altogether from active business life, enjoying a quiet 
rest up to the time of his death, which occurred September 14, 1891. He was 
a stanch Democrat, but never an office seeker. He held membership in the 
Lutheran church, and his upright Christian life commended him to the high 
regard of all with whom he was associated. His wife was also a native of 
Wurtemberg, born January 23, 1823. She came to America with the party of 
which her future husband was a member. After remaining in Sandusky for 
a time she came to New Washington, where she gave her hand in marriage 
to Mr. Michelfelder. Her death occurred May 18, 1898. This worthy 
couple were the parents of Ave children, namely: John, of this review; Fred- 
erica, wife of George Hildebrand, of New Washington ; Jacob, who is with his 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 3°3 

brother in business ; Catherine, of New Washington ; and Frederick, also of 
New Washington. 

John Michel felder, whose name forms the caption of this review, has 
spent his entire life in the locality of his birth. His educational privileges 
were limited, for at the age of fourteen he was taken from school by his father 
and placed on the shoemaker's bench to assist in providing for the family. 
When he liad attained his majority his father paid him a salary and he re- 
mained as an employe in the shop and the store until 1870, when he purchased 
a half interest in the business. In 1873, however, he withdrew from the firm 
and established a store of his own. In 1880 his brother Jacob purchased the 
father's business and the two stores were then merged into one, and the store 
has since been conducted under the firm style of J. Michelfelder & Brother. 
They carry a large and well-selected stock of goods manufactured by reliable 
houses, and their trade is extensive and profitable. Their business methods 
commend them to- the confidence and support of the public, for they are ener- 
getic, persevering and trustworthy. 

On the 1st of December, 1873, Mr. Michelfelder was united in marriage 
to Miss Matilda C. High, a native of Cranberry township and a daughter of 
Michael High. Her paternal grandfather, Valentine A. High, was one of the 
first settlers of Cranberry township, coming to this county from Germany. Mr. 
Michelfelder exercises his right of franchise in support of the measures of 
Democracy, and in the '80s he was elected a member of the board of councilmen 
of New Washington, in which capacity he served for eight years. During the 
four succeeding years he was township trustee, and for ten years was a member 
of the school board, while for three years during that period he served as its 
chairman and for six years as its treasurer. He has also been justice of the 
peace for three years ; for four years was treasurer of Cranberry township, and 
for fourteen years was deputy county collector, collecting the taxes for Cran- 
berry township, and for two years served as a member of the Democratic cen- 
tral committee. Thus again and again called to public office, his long reten- 
tion in official service indicates his strict fidelity to> duty and his unquestioned 
probity in public affairs. He is a zealous advocate and consistent member of 
the Lutheran church, and in that organization has been honored with various 
offices, having acted as deacon for ten years, as church treasurer for seventeen 
years and was chairman of the building committee at the time the present 
house O'f worship was erected. This is one of the finest church buildings in 
the country in a town of its size, the church and grounds costing twenty-two 
thousand dollars. Our subject is a representative citizen of New Washington. 



364 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

His is a well-rounded character, in which he has given due attention to physical, 
mental and moral development. He is justly regarded as one of the leading 
business men of the community, and as a financier his ability is widely recog- 
nized and his integrity is above question. Pubic spirited and progressive, he 
withholds not his support from any movement calculated to prove of benefit 
to the community. 

FREDERICK SCHIFER. 

Although Frederick Schifer is one of the largest farmers and stock-raisers 
and substantial men in Crawford county, he began life as a poor boy, coming 
alone to the United States at the age of sixteen and climbing the ladder of 
success totally unaided. 

Mr. Schifer was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, April 7, 1857, a son of 
George and Barbara (Heinle) Schifer, also natives of Germany, who lived 
and died in their native land. They had four children, of whom two are dead, 
and our subject is the only one who came to America. Mr. Schifer was reared 
in the town of Pfullingen and was given a good common-school education, 
later learning the butcher trade. At the age of sixteen he decided to emigrate 
to this country, several causes inducing him to leave his native land. Accord- 
ing to German law he would have been obliged to serve in the army for four 
years, and this was distasteful to him, as he felt he could better use his youth 
and strength in bettering his condition. At that time his country was involved 
in no war and he felt that his services were not really needed by it. Another 
reason that his decision was made at that time was that his maternal relatives 
were prospering in Crawford county, Ohio, and he knew he could reach them 
and he felt sure enough of his own ability and energy to enable him also to 
prosper in the new land. 

With a few dollars, Mr. Schifer reached New York in the fall of 1873, 
and made his way to Bucyrus township, immediately securing employment as 
a butcher, continuing in that line for the following two years and then engaged 
as a farm hand. For five or six years he labored hard, and then married, im- 
mediately after forming a partnership with George Kramer in the butcher 
business, this connection lasting for eight years. Mr. Schifer displayed most 
excellent business judgment in the buying and shipping of cattle, handling a 
great amount of live stock, and operating at the same time one of the best meat 
markets the residents of Bucyrus ever had. Two or three years previous to 
his withdrawal from the butcher business he bought a farm, consisting of one 
hundred and twenty acres, and to that he finally removed, adding later two 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 365 

tracts, one of twenty acres and another of eighty acres, and started into farm- 
ing and stock-raising on an extensive scale. Mr. Schifer has almost all of 
this land under cultivation or prepared for it, having improved its drainage by 
tiling, and here he has made a number of most desirable improvements. A 
fine barn with stone foundation, and a commodious and comfortable residence 
have been erected, and also a power windmill, which is utilized not only for 
water but also for the grinding' of feed. Mr. Schifer is modern and progres- 
sive and has all the comforts and conveniences which in these days make an 
ideal country home. He is engaged in buying, feeding" and selling much stock, 
principally cattle, and is regarded as one of the best judges of the same in the 
township. 

Air. Schifer was married in 1881 to Miss Lizzie Leitzy, and the four chil- 
dren born to this union are : William, Emma, Elsie and George. He has been 
an ardent and influential Democrat, and for six years, from 1894 to 1900, he 
was township trustee, serving with great acceptability to the people of both 
parties. Both he and wife are members of the German Lutheran church, 
where they are highly esteemed for their many excellent traits of character. 
Mr. Schifer, by his honest and exemplary life, has become one of the most 
highly considered citizens of Bucyrus, and well represents the grand old coun- 
try of bis birth. 

SAMUEL MYERS. 

Samuel Myers is now living a retired life in Gabon. The rest which 
should ever crown years of active connection with business has been vouch- 
safed to him, and with a handsome competence acquired by former toil he is 
now spending the evening of life in the enjoyment of a well-earned ease. For 
forty-five years he has been a resident of the city, and his career throughout 
that period has been as an open book, capable of bearing the closest scrutiny. 
A native of Switzerland, Mr. Myers was born in the land of the Alps, in 
the year 1837, his parents being Samuel and Mary (Hildbold) Myers, who 
came from canton Aargan, Switzerland, to the Lmited States in the year 1838. 
After landing on the American seaboard they proceeded across the country to 
Crawford county, Ohio, and took up their abode in Vernon township. 

There upon a farm Samuel Myers spent the days of his boyhood, for 
he was only but a year old at the time of the arrival of the family here. He 
worked in the fields in his youth, and in the schools of the neighborhood became 
familiar with the common branches of English learning. In Vernon he mas- 



366 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

tered the trade of wagon-making under the direction of his twoi brothers, Jacob 
and John Myers, who established and conducted business along that line in 
Vernon township. The first mentioned of these brothers is now deceased, but 
the latter is still living. Mr. Myers, of this review, with the exception of 
Adam Howard, Sr., was the first to engage in the manufacture of buggies and 
carriages in Galion. He took up his abode in the city in 1856 and opened his 
factory, which he conducted with signal success until 1882. As the years 
passed his patronage increased, his force of workmen was enlarged and the 
manufactured articles of his factory were sent widely over the country. In 
1882, after twenty-six years' connection with the business, Mr. Myers retired, 
putting aside the more arduous duties and cares of an industrial life. In the 
meantime he had become prominent in public affairs, and was ever a citizen 
who gave his earnest support and co-operation to every measure and movement 
calculated for the general good. In 1872 he was elected mayor of Galion and 
filled the office for two years. His service in the city council covers a period 
of eight years altogether, his last term being in 1893. He filled the office of 
justice of the peace for two years, occupying that position at the same time 
when acting as mayor. He has been city marshal, and was constable of Polk 
township for four years. Over the record of his official career there falls no 
shadow of wrong, for he gave earnest and careful consideration to the perform- 
ance of his duty and to the settlement of questions affecting the weal or woe of 
the people whom he represented. At the present writing, in the spring of 
190 1, he is again a candidate for the office of mayor. 

Mr. Myers was united in marriage, on January 28, 1858, to< Miss Cather- 
ine Hess, a daughter of Phillip and Philipina ( Lautenslager) Hess, residents 
of Jackson township, Richland county. They were natives, however, of Ger- 
many, coming from Hesse-Darmstadt to the new world. The marriage of 
Mr. and Mrs. Myers has been blessed with three children, Charles Franklin 
being the only one living, and is now a resident of San Francisco, California. 
Nettie, the eldest child, was born March 31, 1859, and died August 4, 1872; 
William, the youngest child, was born in December, 1863, and died November 
25, 1864. Charles Franklin was born August 2^, 1861, attended school in 
Galion, and in 1888 removed to the west. He married Miss Anna Archibald, 
of this city, and they have two children, — Archibald, who is now a student in 
a military school in San Francisco', and Marleteta. 

For a quarter of a century Mr. Myers has been an exemplary representa- 
tive of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to the lodge in Galion. 
He closely follows the beneficent teachings of the societv, has several times 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 367 

passed all of the chairs and is regarded as one of the most loyal exponents of 
the principles. His political support has ever been given to the Democracy 
and he does everything in his power to secure the success of the party at both 
the state and county elections. He belongs to the Reformed church and his 
life record is consistent with his profession. In an analyzation of his character 
and life work we note many of the characteristics which have marked the Swiss 
nation for many centuries, the perseverance, reliability, energy and unconquer- 
able determination to pursue a course which has been marked out. It is these 
sterling qualities which have gained Mr. Myers success in life and made him 
one of the substantial and valued residents of Galion. 

ALEXANDER HALL. 

For half a century Mr. Hall has resided in Crestline and is now a worthy 
railroad employe. He was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, July 4, 1826, and 
is a son of Joseph Hall, whose birth occurred in County Antrim, Ireland, in 
1790. When a young man the father sought a home in the new world, and 
in 1 82 1 took up his abode in Columbiana county, where he purchased a. tract 
of land and carried on farming for a number of years. While in Ireland he 
was married to Miss Connor, and they had a son and daughter, who are both 
deceased. Mrs. Hall died in Ireland.. He then began merchandising in New 
Alexander, following the latter business until his death, which occurred in 
1832. Ere leaving the Emerald Isle he married Miss Jane McCormick, who 
was born in Ireland in 1800 and died in Ohio in 1871. By this union there 
were five children — three boys and two girls. Our subject and the youngest 
daughter, Isabella Gaff, of Wayne county, Ohio, are the only survivors of the 
family. After the death of Mr. Hall she was a second time married. 

In taking up the personal history of our subject we present to our readers 
the life record of one whose days form a connecting link between the primi- 
tive past and the progressive present, for he lived in Ohio during the period 
of its early development. He pursued his studies in a log school house in 
Columbiana county, Ohio, and afterward continued his studies in Hanoverton. 
He remained in that place for ten years and then went to New Lisbon, where 
he was engaged in clerking" for two years. He afterward spent two and a half 
years as a salesman in a hardware store in Mansfield, and on the expiration 
of that period went to Stark county, spending six months in selling books and 
stationery upon the road. He afterward located in Richland county and was 
employed as a clerk in a grocery store, while for five years he occupied the 



368 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

position of postmaster, serving in that capacity during" the administrations of 
Presidents Taylor and Fillmore and under Lincoln's first term. In the year 
1852 he came to 'Crestline, where he opened a general mercantile establishment, 
which he conducted for three years, after which he entered the service of what 
is now the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, as chief clerk in the warehouse. 
He is connected with the company for forty years and was then retired witli 
a pension. Great corporations never retain any one in their employ who* can- 
not show a clean record for faithfulness, ability and trustworthiness, and the 
fact that Mr. Hall was so long connected with the company is unmistakable 
evidence of his commendable qualities. 

In 1849 occurred the marriage of Mr. Hall to Miss Sarah E. Gardner, 
who' was born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, in 1829, and was taken to 
Wayne county, Ohio; when ten years of age. She afterward removed to Rich- 
land county, where she was married. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hall have been 
born six children, of whom four are yet living, namely: Mary R., Frank, 
Rose and Charles. Lawrence, the second child, and Elsworth, the youngest, 
have now passed away. Mr. Hall has spent some time in public office. In 
addition to four years as postmaster, he was postal clerk for two years. He 
has been a member of the board of education and was trustee of the water 
works of Crestline for two years. In early life he was a Whig in his political 
affiliations, and since the organization of the Republican party he has been one 
of its stalwart advocates, never failing to cast his ballot for governor or presi- 
dent at each election. Having resided in Crestline for almost a half century, 
he is very well known here, and his life record is as an open book, which all 
may read. 

JONATHAN F. KIMERLINE. 

In no other phase of life can a man better demonstrate his fealty to 
his country and his loyalty to its interests than in the political arena, for 
therein is invested the vitality of the nation's power, the mainspring of its 
internal machinery and the keynote to its progress and prosperity. Among 
the patriotic citizens of Crawford county who have been closely identified 
with the Democracy none is better known or more higiily appreciated than 
Jonathan Frederick Kimerline, who is now occupying the position of county 
auditor. He believes that it is the duty and privilege of. every American 
citizen to give his time and attention to some measure or party interest and 
to carry out this principle in life by taking an energetic part in political 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 371 

canvasses, and is a firm believer in the trite saying, that "Eternal vigilance is 
the price of liberty." 

Mr. Kimerline was born in Wooster, Ohio, December 6, 1855, and is a 
son of John and Maria (Derr) Kimerline, both of whom were natives of 
Germany, the father having been born in Wurtemberg, while the mother's 
birth occurred in Baden. They were married in that country and came to 
America in 1854, locating in Wooster, Ohio, whence they removed to a 
small farm in Wayne county, upon which they spent their last days. 

Mr. Kimerline, of this review, pursued his education in the public 
schools of Wayne county until fifteen years of age and afterward spent one 
year as a teacher in Smithville Academy. He then became identified with 
educational interests as an instructor, following the teacher's profession for 
five or six years during the winter months, while in the summer season 
he continued his own studies in the Ohio Normal, at Ada, Ohio, where he 
was graduated with the class of 1882. He has had to depend entirely upon 
his own efforts, not only for his advancement, but for the educational privil- 
eges which he received beyond those of the common schools. His labors 
enabled him to pursue a college course and thus prepare for his chosen pro- 
fession. In 1874 he was employed as a teacher in the schools of Chatfield, 
Ohio, and the following year was made superintendent of the public schools 
of Xew Washington, where he remained for a period of twenty years, retir- 
ing from the office in 1895 with the confidence and good will of the people,, 
for he had labored untiringly and effectively for the improvement and pro- 
motion of the schools of that town. In 1895 he was elected to the office 
of auditor of Crawford county, and after serving through his first term was 
re-elected in 1898, so that he is the present incumbent. This is, however, 
not the extent of his public service, for he was a member of the county board 
of school examiners from 1880 until 1888. 

In Wayne count}', Ohio, Mr. Kimerline was united in marriage to Miss 
Ida May Breneman, a daughter of Dr. J. H. and Lydia (McNary) Brene- 
man. His wife was a very successful and prominent teacher in Wayne 
county for ten or twelve years, a part of which time she had charge of the 
Congress schools. She also taught in the Xew Washington schools. Their 
marriage is blessed with two living children,— Harry Breneman and Louise 
Marie. Mr. Kimerline is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, an 
active worker in its interests and has served as trustee and a member of 
the official board. For three years he was a member of the Northwestern 
Ohio Teachers' Association. In 1899 he was elected secretary of the State 
- - 20 



372 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Auditors' Association, a position which he held for two years. He is also 
identified with the Knights of Pythias fraternity and the Order of Ben 
Hur. In November, 1895, he took up his abode in Bucyrus and he and his 
wife there enjoy the hospitality of many of the best homes of the city. 

FRANKLIN HOLBROOK. 

Franklin Holbrook, of Bucyrus, was one of the editors and proprietors of 
the daily and weekly Forum until October, 1901, when that paper was sold to 
the Bucyrus Publishing Company, just then organized. He has had undoubted 
influence on public thought ami opinion through his connection with the paper, 
which is the oldest journal in the county and which has done much to mold 
the public policy of city, county and district, having ever been a supporter of 
all movements and measures calculated to promote the general good and ad- 
vance progress along substantial lines. Air. Holbrook was born in Wapako- 
neta, Auglaize county. Ohio, in 1854. and is a son of George \Y. and Mary 
Virginia (Nichols) Holbrook. The ancestry of the family may be traced 
through many generations to Thomas Holbrooke, who, with his brother John 
and a number of other emigrants, left Weymouth, in Dorsetshire, England, 
in 1O24, landing on the coast of Massachusetts in the same year. There the 
part}- founded the town of Weymouth and Thomas Holbrooke served for 
many years as selectman. He died there in 1676, and his widow, Joanna Hol- 
brooke, passed away the following vear. 

George W. Holbrook, the father of Franklin, was born in Palmyra, New 
York, September u, 1808. He studied medicine and was graduated in the 
University of Xew York. In 1834 he settled in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and be- 
came a well-to-do and public-spirited citizen. In the affairs which had marked 
influence on the development and progress of Auglaize county he took an ac- 
tive interest, laboring earnestly for their promotion. His name is inseparably 
connected with the history of that community. He mapped out the county, 
spent three winters in Columbus in attendance on the state legislature and 
finally secured the passage of a bill establishing the county, practically at his 
own expense. He owned several thousand acres of land in the vicinity of 
Wapakoneta and was afterward instrumental in having the county seat estab- 
lished there. He was one of the first judges in the county under the old con- 
stitution and was always a prominent politician. In 1881 he was elected to 
the state legislature, where he served through four consecutive years. He 
studied closely the needs of his district and of the state and labored untiringly 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 373 

to secure such legislative enactments as would prove of general good. 
On the 30th of November, 1836, he married Lydia M. Nichols, who died De- 
cember 28, 1843, anc1t °' n ^ ie I 4^h of May, 1845, he wedded Alary Virginia 
Nichols, who died November 20, 1893. His death occurred June 1, 1890. and 
all are buried at Wapakoneta. Her father, Isaac Nichols, was a captain in 
the war of 1812. He represented a Virginia family, who removed from Lou- 
doun county, that state, to Ohio, locating in Lebanon, Warren county, after the 
second war with England. 

Franklin Holbrook pursued his education in the schools of Wapakoneta 
and was a member of the first class ever graduated in the high school — the 
year being 1871. He afterward learned the printer's trade in the office of the 
Auglaize County Democrat, becoming familiar with the business in all its de- 
partments. He was there employed until 1876, when he established a paper 
called the Wapakoneta Bee, continuing the same until 1883, during which time 
he had made it a representative journal that received a liberal patronage. In 
Its columns he took an active part in public affairs and labored earnestly for the 
benefit of the community. In 1885 he came to Bucyrus and purchased of 
Major Williston a half interest in the Forum, of which he was one of the edi- 
tors and proprietors until October, 1901, as stated at the beginning of this 
sketch. The year after his purchase the Major sold his interest to Horace 
Holbrook, a brother of our subject, and to G. A. Nuit. A few years later 
the last named purchased the fourth interest of Horace Holbrook, and in 1894 
Albert M. Ensminger became a partner in the enterprise. Air. Holbrook de- 
voted his time and attention successfully to the paper after coming to Bucyrus, 
and during this period its circulation was more than doubled, while its plant 
increased two or three fold in volume, owing to the purchase of new and im- 
proved machinery and materials. The firm did, and still does, a large jo!) 
printing business, and the circulation of the paper is extensive and constantly 
increasing. This makes it a good advertising medium, and its patronage in 
various lines is large and profitable. 

Mr. Holbrook was married at Wapakoneta, on the 7th of January, 1879, 
to Miss Mary F. Keuthan, a daughter of F. H. and Alary W. Keuthan, the 
father having come from Germain' to .America in early life, while the mother 
was a native of this country. The marriage of Air. and Airs. Holbrook has 
been blessed with three children: George Frederick, who was born Octoher 
1 1, 1879 ; Beatrice, born July 2j, 1881 ; and Horace Rollin, born May 17, 1884. 
Mr. Holbrook is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, 
the Royal Arcanum, the National Union and the Afaccabees. He and his wife 



374 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

have a pleasant home in Bucyrus, where hospitality abounds and where their 
mam- friends desire to gather. In the office Mr. Halo-rook is a practical man 
of affairs, busy and energetic, and has attained a success that is the merited 
reward of his earnest labor and persistency of purpose. In his home he is a 
pleasant and agreeahle companion, and in whatever place or relation found he 
is a thorough gentleman in the highest sense of the term. 

DANIEL BRINKMAN. 

Prominent among the successful, progressive and substantial farmers of 
Holmes township is Daniel Brinkman, who comes of fine old German ancestry. 
His birth was in Bucyrus, Ohio, on January 7, 1840, a son of Christopher and 
Mary (Heinle) Brinkman, who reared nine children. The three survivors 
are: Henry, who lives retired in Holgate, Henry county, Ohio-; Frederick, 
who resides in Putnam county, Ohio 1 ; and Daniel, who is the subject. The 
names of those who passed away are: John, Louis, Christian, Jacob, Mary 
and Elizabeth. The father of our subject was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, 
in 1804, and while still a young man came to America and located in Pennsyl- 
vania. There he learned the wheelwright trade and also the trade of chair- 
maker, coming to Bucyrus to follow these lines. Some years later he pur- 
chased an eighty-acre tract of land, this being the same upon which his son 
resides, and with a team of oxen and one horse hauled logs from the forest to 
Bucyrus, where he found a market for them, and in 1841 purchased a portion 
of the home farm, across the road from his former purchase. The former 
resident had left a modest frame house, and into this Mr. Brinkman moved, 
utilizing it as both a residence and shop, and here he carried on his work of 
chair-making. In 1858 he was able to erect the substantial brick residence 
which was his comfortable home until his death, in 1878. Mr. Brinkman had 
made a success of his life through his own efforts. At one time he owned 
four hundred acres of land, and was regarded as one of the most substantial 
farmers of his locality. His political leaning was toward the Democratic 
party. In the German Reformed church he was known for his liberality and 
display of Christian characteristics. 

Daniel Brinkman gained a thorough knowledge of life on a farm during 
his early years, and has followed the pursuit of agriculture all his life. His 
education was received in the common schools. When he decided to set up 
a home of his own he married Miss Sarah A. Layman, a native of this county 
and a daughter of Mathias Layman, who was one of the early settlers of Craw- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 375 

ford county, from Pennsylvania. After marriage Air. Daniel Brinkman took 
charge of a portion of his father's land, and engaged in farming on shares for 
some four years, and then purchased his present desirable farm, consisting of 
one hundred and thirty-five acres, and here he erected a comfortable but plain 
residence. He wished to clear off the debt of his farm before he made any ex- 
tensive improvements, but in 1885 he felt justified in building the commodious 
and attractive country home which now adorns his estate. In his farming he 
has been successful, and. like his father, is regarded as a very solid member of 
the farming community. 

Mr. Brinkman has two of his five children and his estimable wife with 
him. the former being Charles and Alvin. Martha, Anna and Emma, three 
beloved daughters, have passed out of life. In his political views Mr. Brink- 
man follows the example of his father and votes with the Democratic party, 
and is interested in its success, but he is no seeker for office. The religious 
connection of the family is with the Disciples church, where he is known for 
hs charitable and benevolent actions. Mr. Brinkman is held in high esteem ' 
in the township and deserves the good feeling that is generally felt for him. 

EDWARD FLICKINGER. 

The day of small undertakings, especially in cities, seems to have passed 
and the era of gigantic enterprises is upon us. In control of mammoth con- 
cerns are men of master minds, of almost limitless ability to guide, of sound 
judgment and keen discrimination. Their progressiveness must not onlv 
reach the bounds that others have attained, but must even pass beyond into new 
and broader, untried fields of operation ; but an unerring foresight and sagacity 
must make no mistake by venturing upon uncertain ground. Thus continu- 
ally growing, a business takes leadership in its special line and the men who 
are at its head are deservedly eminent in the world of commerce, occupying a 
portion which commands the respect while it excites the admiration of all 
At the head of some of the leading industries of Gabon stands Edward Flick- 
inger, who is president of the Flickinger Wheel Works and of the Gallon 
Wagon and Gear Company. These enterprises are not only of great benefit 
to the stockholders but have also materially promoted the interests of the city 
for the upbuilding and growth of the community depends upon the industrial 
and commercial activity. 

Mr. Flickinger is a native of Ohio, bis birth having occurred in Hamilt. m 
Butler county, on the 12th of August, 1847. The family is of Swiss lineage 



3/6 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and was founded in America by the great-grandfather of our subject, John 
Flickinger, who came from the land of the Alps in 1752 to the new world, and 
settled in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. He erected the first building in 
that place, and it is still standing. His son, Jacob Flickinger, the grandfather 
of our subject, was born in 1784, in Lancaster county, soon after the close of 
the Revolutionary Avar, and became a minister of the United Brethren church. 
In 1 8 10 he removed to Ohio, locating in Hamilton, Butler county. He was 
active in establishing the church there, and his work along lines of good citizen- 
ship and Christian character is still manifest in the lives of all who knew him. 
His example was a source of help to all with whom he was associated, and his 
memory remains as a blessed benediction to those among whom he lived and 
labored. He died in 1849. He married Miss Hannah Kumler, a daughter 
of Bishop Henry Kumler, of the United Brethren church. She was actively 
associated with her husband in all his pioneer ministerial work in Butler 
county. She was widely loved by all with whom she came in contact. Her 
death occurred in r8o,2, when she had attained the advanced age of ninety-three 
years. Through a long period she took an active interest in the reunions of 
her relatives, which were held in Butler county. 

Henry Flickinger, the father of our subject, was born in Butler county, 
Ohio, in 18 19, and there became a prominent farmer and a recognized repre- 
sentative of agricultural pursuits. He was also a leading and influential mem- 
ber of the United Brethren church, doing all in his power to promote the cause 
of Christianity among' his fellow men. He was considered a generous, kindly- 
dispositioned man. and no worthy object or needy person sought his aid in 
vain. His political support was first given to the Whig party, and on its dis- 
solution he joined the ranks of the Republican party. His wife bore the 
maiden name of I^lizabeth Farlow and was born in Berks county, Pennsyl- 
vania, in 1819, coming with her parents to Butler county, Ohio, during her 
childhood. Her father, John Farlow, was a native of Berks count}-. Pennsyl- 
vania, and died in Butler county. Ohio, at the age of eighty years. In religious 
belief he was a Lutheran, and in his political faith a Democrat. Mr. Henry 
Flickinger died in 1891, when seventy years of age, and the mother passed 
away in 1896, at the age of eighty years. The members of their family are 
as follows: Amos, who was killed in the battle of Stone River in the Civil 
war ; Matilda and Xoah, both now deceased ; Mrs. Anna Hone ; Enoch ; Lan- 
dis; Susan; and Edward, the subject of this sketch. 

The last named was only sixteen years of age when, in response to the 
president's call, he enlisted in Company F, of the One Hundred and Sixty- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 377 

seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving until the close of hostilities. He 
participated in the campaigns of Virginia and West Virginia and was ever 
loyal to the starry banner. After his return to the north he became identified 
with the industrial interests of Ohio in 1868 as a manufacturer of buggy 
wheels in Sandusky. The business steadily increased in volume and im- 
portance and was carried on until 1880, when Mr. Flickinger removed to 
Kalamazoo, Michigan, Success attended his industry in that place and he was 
in control of an extensive business, which he afterward reorganized under the 
management of a joint stock company, of which he was chosen president. In 
1890 the business was sold to the Buggy Wheel Trust Company, and in 1892 
our subject erected a large factory in Gallon, Ohio. In the same year he 
removed to Galion. Jn his wheel manufactory he is now employing two hun- 
dred and fifty men. He is also president of the Galion Wagon and Gear Com- 
pany, and his employes altogether number more than four hundred men. His 
output is very large, but can hardly keep up with the demands. The ware- 
houses of the company are filled with the best seasoned stock, and both factories 
are now equipped with the latest and most approved machinery that money can 
buy and that will turn out a high grade of work. The goods sold by these 
factories are so favorably known over the country that almost daily purchasers 
of wheels and bodies and spring wagons come to Galion from all parts of the 
United States. The growth of his factories has been continuous and health- 
ful, and the enterprise is now one of considerable magnitude. Much of the 
success which has attended these two undertakings is due to the capable busi- 
ness management, keen discrimination and resolute purpose of Edward Flick- 
inger, who has the business affairs of the two factories well in hand, and 
whose knowledge of every detail is the result of a lifetime of stud}". Another 
enterprise with which he is actively connected is conducted under the name of 
the Flickinger Company, the partners being our subject, Fred Unckrich and 
Frank Flickinger. The enterprise was established for the purpose of manu- 
facturing a special line of wheel machinery, consisting of the Unckrich patent 
spoke polishing machine, a wheel riveting machine and several other machines 
which are now in process of construction. The company controls the patents 
on these machines, which are sold to wheel manufacturers all over the United 
States, and are spoken of in terms of highest praise wherever used. Edward 
Flickinger also has another branch of business which is equally successful, 
though of an entirely different nature. In 1890 he purchased a large stock 
farm at Bellefontaine, Ohio, comprising two hundred and fifty acres. The 



3/8 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

place is called the Pleasant Grove Stock Farm, and on it he is extensively en- 
gaged in breeding fine draft and French coach horses. 

Mr. Flickinger has been twice married. In 1872 he married Miss Emma 
McCullough, a daughter of Judge McCullough, of Logan county, Ohio. They 
became the parents of two children. Frank, who has charge of one of the 
departments of the factory, and Edna. In 1882 the mother died, and in 1884 
Mr. Flickinger was again married, his second union being with Miss Elizabeth 
Colley, of Sandusky, a daughter of Edward Colley, deceased. Their children 
are Edward, Hazel and Russell. In his political views Mr. Flickinger is a 
Republican, and socially he is a Mason, having attained the Knight Templar 
degree in that order. To the subject of this review has come the attainment 
of a distinguished position in connection with the great material industries of 
Crawford county, and his efforts have been so discerningly directed along well- 
defined lines that he seems to have reached at any one point of progress the 
full measure of his possibilities for accomplishment at that point. A man of 
distinctive and forceful individuality, of broad mentality and most mature judg- 
ment, he has left and is leaving his impress upon the industrial world, and he 
certainly deserves the splendid success which he has attained, for it has been 
the result of his ability to recognize and improve opportunities and to control 
intricate business affairs. Kindness, amiability and courtesy not only char- 
acterize his social relations but are the marked features in his business life, and 
his employes never see a trace of the overbearing taskmaster in him. 



JAMES F. McMAHON. 

James F. McMahon is the editor and proprietor of the Xews-Democrat, 
of Crestline, and has for a number of years been closely identified with the 
journalistic interest of Crawford county. He was born in Wooster, Ohio, 
June 1. 1877, and is the youngest son of John J. and Rose (Cullivan) Mc- 
Mahon, both of whom were natives of Ireland, but in early pioneer days 
crossed the Atlantic to the new world, and were married in Norwalk, Ohio. 
Through a long period the father was foreman in the blacksmith shop of the 
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, at Wooster, Ohio, and after a useful and 
honorable career he passed away on the 5th of May, 1890, at the age of fifty- 
four years. His widow still survives him and is now a resident of Crestline. 
In the family of this worthy couple were four children: James F. ; John, 
who is a car-builder of Toledo, Ohio ; Katie, who is now associated with our 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 381 

subject in the publication of his paper; and Mary, the wife of H. A. Schill, of 
Crestline. 

Air. McMahon, of this review, spent the days of his youth in his native 
city and is indebted to its public-school system for the educational privileges 
which he enjoyed. He is now in a line of work which is continually in- 
creasing his fund of information. He became connected with the printing 
business in Wooster, Ohio, in 1894, and in 1895 he came to Crestline, where 
he was associated with the Vidette until the establishment of the News-Demo- 
crat in 1898. This journal now has a circulation of about a thousand copies 
It is published in the interest of the Democratic party and of local advance- 
ment, and through its columns Mr. McMahon treats in a fair and impartial 
manner the questions of local and general importance, at the same time giving 
an unswerving support to the principles of Democracy. He also conducts a 
job printing department, and in that branch of the business is securing a 
liberal patronage, which materially increases his income. 

WILLIAM SNYDER. 

William Snyder, who is living, in Crestline, Ohio-, was born in Middle- 
town, Crawford county, July 12, 18.4.1. His grandfather, Cristley Snyder, 
was born in Pennsylvania, and was one of the early settlers of Ashland, Rich- 
land and Crawford counties. He took up his abode in the midst of the deep 
forest where he erected a log cabin and owned a farm. He lived to the very 
advanced age of ninety-nine years and nine months and then died from the 
effects of a fall, while his wife, Alary Magdaline Snyder, lived to the venerable 
age cf one hundred and eight years. The father, Peter Snyder, was a native 
of Ashland county, born in 1803, and in 1808 he became a resident of Craw- 
ford county, which at that time was a part of Richland county. Here he was 
reared upon the farm, and in a log school house, such as was common at that 
day, he pursued his education. When he had attained adult age he married 
Miss Lavina Gilland, who was born in this county before its separation from 
Crawford count}-. In this part of Ohio she spent her entire life, dying at the 
age of seventy-one years. After his marriage the father of our subject took 
up his abode in Jefferson township, near Middletown, but spent the last twenty 
years of his life in Crestline. He passed the ninety-second milestone and was 
then called to< his final rest. He took an active part in Christian work as a 
member of the Presbyterian church, and held several offices in the congregation 
with which he was identified. A life-Ion^ Democrat, he also filled some minor 



3«2 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

political positions. He took an active part in everything connected with the 
good of the county and was one of its best known and highly respected citizens, 
having for eighty-eight years lived within its borders. He was identified, with 
its development and progress and was a witness of its transformation from 
an unbroken wilderness to its present state of cultivation and improvement. 
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Snyder were born ten children, six sons and four daugh- 
ters, all of whom reached mature years, while two of the sons and three of the 
daughters are yet living. 

William Snyder was the eighth in order of birth in the parents' family. 
He first opened his eyes to the light of day in a log cabin in Jefferson township, 
and remained upon the old home farm until ten years of age, when the family 
remoA ed to an adjoining farm. He pursued his studies in the log school house 
in the primitive manner of the times, and assisted his father in the clearing 
and cultivation of the fields until 1 86 1 , when his patriotic spirit was aroused 
by the attempt at secession of the south and he offered his services to the gov- 
ernment, enlisting among the "boys in blue" as a member of Company K, 
Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served for about sixteen months 
and was then honorably discharged on account of disability. Immediately 
afterward he returned home and has since been identified with the interests of 
Crawford county. 

In i860 Mr. Snyder was united in marriage to Miss Mary Burnison, a 
native of Monroe county, Ohio, born May 4, 1844, and is a daughter of John 
and Alary (Myers) Burnison, who were early settlers of that county. Her 
father was a native of Stark county, Ohio, but her mother was born in Ger- 
man)-. They became the parents of ten children, Mrs. Snyder being the second 
in order of birth. She was reared and educated in her native county, and to 
her husband has been a faithful companion and helpmeet on the journey of life. 
They began their domestic life in Jefferson township, where they remained for 
about four years, when they took up their abode in Crestline, Mr. Snyder 
engaging in the railway service. He was first employed as a brakeman and 
was soon after promoted to the position of conductor on the Pittsburg, Ft. 
Wayne & Chicago' road. He acted in that capacity for eighteen vears, run- 
ning from Crestline to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and to Chicago 1 . During the 
greater part of the time he was a passenger conductor, and was one of the most 
reliable and trustworthy employes in the service. On leaving the road in 1885 
he engaged in the grocery business in Crestline, and for some time has lived 
retired, enjoying a well-merited rest, his wants being supplied by the com- 
petence which he had gained in former years of activity. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 3S3 

The marriage of Air. and Airs. Snyder was blessed with two daughters 
and a son, but the latter, Frank, is now deceased. Minnie Belle, the elder 
daughter, is the wife of \V. D. Cover, and Alice May, the younger, is still with 
her parents. In his political affiliations Mr. Snyder is a Democrat, and on 
that ticket he was elected a member of the town council and of the school b< >ard. 
He belongs to Snyder Post, Xo. 101, G. A. R. and to the Methodist Episcopal 
church. He has always lived in Crawford county, so- that his history is well 
known and his fellow townsmen have ever held him in the highest respect and 
regard, owing to his life-long fidelity to> manly principle, his social character- 
istics being those which in every land and every clime command respect. 



JAMES VV. COULTER. 

In the last half of the past century the lawyer has been a pre-eminent 
factor in all affairs of private concern and national importance. The man 
versed in the laws of the country, as distinguished from business men or poli- 
ticians, has been a recognized power. He has been depended upon to conserve 
the best and permanent interests of the whole people, and without him and the 
approval of his practical judgment the efforts of the statesman and the in- 
dustry of the business man and mechanic would have proved futile. The 
reason is not far to seek. The professional lawyer is never the creature of 
circumstance. The profession is open to talent, and eminence or success can- 
not be obtained except by indomitable energy, perseverance and strong men- 
tality. Such qualities are manifest in the career of Mr. Coulter, now a well- 
known and successful attorney of Gabon, who was born July 4, 1846, in West- 
Bedford, Coshocton county, Ohio. His father, Richard Montgomery Coulter, 
died in that county when about sixty years of age. He was a native of Cum- 
berland county, Pennsylvania, and a son of William Coulter, a surveyor, who 
became one of the pioneer settlers of Coshocton county. He erected the first 
brick house built west of the city of Coshocton, and for many years he was an 
employe of the United States government. The mother of our subject bore 
the maiden name of Phoebe Greer, and was reared in Belfast. Ireland, whence 
she came to America, and here gave her hand in marriage to Richard M. 
Coulter. 

The subject of this review pursued his education at Spring Mountain, 
Coshocton county, Ohio, and after completing his literary course he commenced 
preparation for professional life as a student in the law office of Frank H. 



384 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Hurd, of Mount Vernon. He afterward continued his studies under the 
direction of Hon. A. Jackson and Hon. Thomas Beer, of Bucyrus, and in 
1866 was admitted to the bar. He at once located at Galion, where he has 
since engaged in practice, having long ago won a position of distinction among 
the leading representatives of the fraternity in this place. Along with those 
qualities, indispensable to the lawyer, — a keen, rapid, logical mind plus the 
business sense and ready capacity for hard work, — our subject brought to the 
starting point of his legal career gifts, — eloquence of language and a strong 
personality. An excellent presence, an earnest, dignified manner, marked 
■strength -of character, a thorough grasp of the law and the ability accurately 
to apply its principles are factors in Mr. Coulter's effectiveness as an advocate. 

For six years Mr. Coulter served as prosecuting attorney of Crawford 
county. He was also> a member of the board of county school examiners for 
four years, and through a long period was a member of the school board of 
Galion, acting as its president for some time. Since his retirement from that 
office his attention has been given strictly to the private practice of law, for 
he has a large and distinctivelv representative clientage. However, he is 
known as a leading and influential member of the Democratic party, has served 
on the county committee and has done considerable campaign work, attending 
various political meetings and conventions throughout the state. He is a 
director and vice-president of the First National Bank of Galion, and was at- 
torney of the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad and the New York, 
Lake Erie & Western road, now known as the Erie line, continuing in that 
position for thirty years, throughout all the changes made in ownership. For 
twenty years he has managed two farms, located two miles west of Galion, 
and is one of the largest real estate owners in the county. 

Mr. Coulter married Miss Flora Hetrick, of Galion, a daughter of Samuel 
Hetrick, one of the old pioneers of the county, and his married life is an excep- 
tionally happy one, his wife being one of the most hospitable and generous 
women in Galion. Socially he is identified with the Masonic fraternity, and 
religiously he is connected with the Methodist Episcopal church. He began 
his business career without capital, save his laudable ambition and unfaltering 
determination, and the fact that he stands among the wealthy men of the 
county is due entirely to his own efforts. He has been quick to note oppor- 
tunities and to improve them, has made judicious investments and throughout 
his career has transacted his business in harmony with the strictest professional 
ethics. With him success in life has been reached by sterling qualities of mind 
and a heart true to every manly principle. He has never deviated from what 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 3S5 

his judgment would indicate to be right and honorable between his fellow men 
and himself and he has gained not only wealth, but the respect and good will 
of the entire community in which he lives. 

I 

NICHOLAS FETTER. 

Nicholas Fetter is a retired farmer and miller living in Crestline. An 
excellent example of the self-made American citizen whose life illustrates the 
progress that an ambitious foreigner can make in this country of unbounded 
opportunity is shown in the case of Air. Fetter, one of the leading German- 
American citizens of Crawford count}-. His signal success is due to his own 
energy and the high ideal which his laudable ambition placed before him. 
Success in any walk in life is an indication of earnest endeavor and painstaking 
effurt, — characteristics that he possesses in an eminent degree. 

Mr. Fetter was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, December 28. 1832, 
His father, George Fetter, was a native of the same locality, was a millwright 
by trade, and in 184(8, when about fifty years of age, came to America, settling- 
in Pennsylvania. There he carried en farming and also engaged in the manu- 
facture of oak shingles. About 1853 he came to- Crawford county, Ohio, 
where he spent his remaining days, passing away in 1886. He married, in the 
Fatherland. Miss Catherine Beach, and they became the parents of six chil- 
dren, rive sons and a daughter, namely: Nicholas, Adam, George, Jacob, 
Catherine and Henry. All were born in Germain-, with the exception of 
Henry, whose birth occurred in the Keystone state. 

Nicholas Fetter is the oldest, and was reared in his native country until 
fifteen years of age, when he accompanied his parents on their voyage to the 
new world, locating in Blair county, Pennsylvania, where he remained for 
about five years. In 1853 he came to Crawford county and began work in a 
sawmill, also followed farming in the employ of others. In i860 he began- 
business on his own account, and was so engaged until 1895, when, having 
acquired a comfortable competence, he retired to private life and has since en- 
joyed a well-merited rest. 

In the year [860 Mr. Fetter was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Heckler, 
who was born in Germany, June 20. 1837. and came to the new world when 
about twenty-one years of age, taking up her abode in Crawford county. 
Their marriage has been blessed with twi 1 s< >ns and a daughter, namely : Caro- 
line, wife of Nicholas Amos, who is proprietor of the Continental Hotel at 
Crestline; Frances, wife of Frank Nicely, of Galion ; and John, who married'. 



386 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Miss Ludwig and resides in Crestline. Air. Fetter has served as a member 
jof the board of education of the city and is deeply interested in everything that 
pertains to the substantial improvement of the community. He votes with 
the Democracy and is a member of the German Reformed church. He has 
ever conducted his business affairs so that he has won the confidence and good 
will i if all who know him. As a man and citizen he enjoys the added prosper- 
ity which conies to those genial spirits who have a hearty shake of the hand 
for all those with whom they come in contact from day to day and who seem 
to throw around them in consequence so much of the sunshine of life. 

ISAAC C. GUINTHER. 

The world instinctively pays deference to the man whose success has 
been worthily achieved, who has acquired high reputation along the line to- 
ward which his energies have been directed and whose social prominence is not 
less the result of an irreproachable life than of recognized natural gifts. It 
is a pleasing indulgence to write the biography of a man of this character. 
The country has produced many brilliant men, who in military or civil life have 
won prominence and honor; most of our noblest and best men are self-made, 
and Air. Guinther is a representative of this class, for his life has been de- 
voted to labors where wealth or influence availed little or naught, the measure 
of success depending upon the mentality, intellectual acquirements and broad 
culture of the individual. Air. Guinther has left the imprint of his individu- 
ality on each place in which, for any length of time, he has resided, and has 
opened to many the portals of knowledge, wherein memory's casket may be 
filled with the choicest gems, — the only treasures which we may safely call 
our own. As an educator Professor Guinther is widely known and is m iw 
occupying the responsible position of city superintendent of the schools of 
Gabon. Familiarity through the medium of books and study with the most 
gifted minds of every nation and of every clime has well qualified him for 
the incumbency. He has served in this capacity since 1896, during which 
period the schools have made marked progress. 

Professor Guinther is numbered among the native sons of Crawford 
county, his birth having occurred in Whetstone township, December 25, 1856, 
and his parents being Jacob and Catherine (Schallenmiller) Guinther. His 
father was a native of Germany, born in Wurtemberg, near Stuttgart, in 18 14, 
but when fourteen years of age he came to the new world, taking up his abode 
in Philadelphia, where he remained until he had attained his majority. He 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 387 

then came to Ohio, acting as clerk for William Miller in one of the first hotels 
in Bucyrus. Subsequently he located upon a farm in Tully township, Marion 
county. A few years afterward he took up his abode in Whetstone township, 
Crawford county, a location joining" the one in Tully township, where he spent 
his remaining days, his death occurring in 1884, when he was about seventy 
years of age. His wife represents one of the pioneer families of Pennsyl- 
vania, her people having located in the Keystone state prior to the war of 
the Revolution. From Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, representatives of the 
name came to- Ohio, and Mrs. Guinther was one of the first settlers on the 
plains south of Bucyrus. She is still living at the old homestead in Whet- 
stone township, south of New Winchester, at the age of eighty years. Her 
children were as follows: Mrs. Mar)- Ulmer, who is living in Whetstone 
township: George J., a resident of the old homestead in Tully township, Ma- 
rion county; Sophia, at home; Catherine, the wife of S. Rexroth, of Polk 
township. Crawford county: Isaac C, of this review; Charlotta, wife of S. 
Stump, of Wnetstone township; and J- F., who is living on the old homestead 
in Whetstone township. Jacob Guinther was, as is still his surviving widow, 
well known for honesty and integrity, and for devotion to the welfare of the 
family, and held in the highest esteem by all. 

Professor Guinther, who forms the immediate subject of this review, pur- 
sued his preliminary education in the public schools of Whetstone township 
and later entered.the Northwestern Ohio Normal University, at Ada, where he 
pursued the scientific and classical courses, being graduated in 1883, with 
the degree of bachelor of science and master of arts. He determined to de- 
vote his life to educational work, and some time before his graduation he 
began teaching, his first school being at New Winchester, in Whetstone town- 
ship, taking charge thereof in the y ear 1876. For several years his time was 
devoted to teaching and to stud}-. After graduation he continued teaching, 
having been employed at Nevada, Galena, and Utica, all in Ohio. At Ne- 
vada, one year; Galena, three years and Utica, four years. Throughout his 
teaching he has never been obliged to change positions, but did so as better 
fields opened up for his service. In 1891 he accepted a position as teacher in 
the grammar grades at ( ialion, since which time he has been identified with the 
schools of this place. In 1892 he became principal of the high school, 
and for four years served in that capacity, and was then, in 1896, chosen 
to the position of superintendent of the Gabon schools. In this position 
he has direction and supervision of all the pupils of the public schools, and 
at present thirty-two teachers. There are four school buildings in the city, 



338 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

The high school course now covers four years and is most thorough ana 
efficient, as is the work done in the grades. Professor Guinther is contin- 
ually studying, striving to improve the school work and introduce new meth- 
od • . as they seem of practical value and benefit, and his own interest in the 
work is an inspiration and aid to the. teachers. 

In 1885 occurred the marriage of Professor Guinther and Miss Mary M. 
Rexroth, a daughter of John and Anna (Reimhern) Rexroth, who came from 
Germany to this country in 1840 or '41, and are now deceased. The mar- 
riage of our subject and his wife has been blessed with five children, namely: 
Paul Emerson, a youth of fourteen, who is now in the high school ; Fred 
Ernest. Robert I. and Lawrence Oliver, aged, respectively, twelve, ten and 
seven years ; and Mildred Lucile, the only daughter, now a little maiden of four 
summers. 

In his political affiliations the Professor is a Democrat, but has no time 
for active political work. He holds membership in the Presbyterian church 
and is deeply interested in its growth and progress. He is a man of broad, 
scholarly attainments, who has had marked influence upon the intellectual de- 
velopment of the city and whose labors have been of incalculable and of far- 
reaching benefit. 

L. M. SMITH. 

L. M. Smith, the well-known business manager of the Crawford County 
Xews. was born in Lykens township, Crawford county, September 1, 1868, 
his parents being Frederick and Lucy Ann (Shupp) Smith. The father 
located in this county when a young man, in 1840. He was a native of 
Saxony, Germany, and on coming to America first took up his abode in 
Columbus, Ohio, whence he came to this county. He did contract work on 
the national pike and afterward purchased a quarter section of land in Lykens 
township, which he brought under a high state of cultivation. He first mar- 
ried Christiana Tipman, of Saxony, German v, who died in 1846, leaving four 
children, namely: Louis F., of Lykens township, who has served as justice 
of the peace and notary public; John F., a resident farmer of the same town- 
ship; Adolph G., a contractor living in Aurora, Illinois: and Clara, now the 
wife (if Joseph Laipply, of Lykens township. After the death of his first 
wife the father married Lucy Ann Shupp, a daughter of Michael Shupp, a 
native of Pennsvlvania and a pioneer of Crawford county. She was born 
June 3, 1830, and the children born of this marriage are: Cornelius, who 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 391 

is living in Bncyrus ; Matilda, deceased ; Catherine, the wife of Jacob Meek, 
of Holmes township; Frederick, who is engaged in business at Lemert, Ohio; 
Henry, a farmer of that place; Lucy Ann, deceased; Jefferson I., of whom 
mention is made elsewhere in this volume; Emma J., wife of Abraham 
Scheifer, of Lykens township; L. Melancthon; and Serepta, wife of C. H. 
Flickinger, of Holmes township. The father of this family was a very 
prominent and influential citizen of Crawford county, and from 1862 until 
the time of his death served as justice of the peace. His rulings were strictly 
fair and impartial and his counsel was sought far and wide in law matters. 
He was also township clerk for many years and during a greater part of 
the time was a member of the school board and actively promoted the edu- 
cational interests of his community. He was also a leading member of the 
Grange and was an active and progressive citizen. He died December 3, 1877, 
at the age of sixty-one years, and his wife passed away in 1891, when also 
sixty-one years of age. 

L. M. Smith, of this sketch, spent the days of his childhood upon 
the home farm and in the district schools of the neighborhood acquired the 
rudiments of his education. He was only nine years of age at the time of his 
father's death, and at the age of sixteen he was forced to start in life on 
his own account. For several years he acted as a salesman in a general store 
belonging to bis brother Lemert. and the practical business training which 
he there received has proven of value to him in his later career. Realizing the 
importance of education and feeling its lack in his own life he determined to 
add to the knowledge he had previously acquired and therefore entered the 
high school at Bucyrus. At a later date he also pursued a commercial course 
in the Ohio Business College, at Mansfield, and was graduated in that institu- 
tion in 1888. 

After leaving school Air. Smith rilled important positions with a. large 
manufacturing establishment and with the Adams Express Company until 
1 891, when he became connected with the journalistic interests, becoming an 
equal partner in the New Washington Herald in conjunction with his brother. 
J. I. Smith, deputy count}' auditor, lie successfully managed the Herald until 
September, 1898, when, being desirous of locating in the county scat, he 
purchased a half interest in the Crawford County News, of which he is the 
business manager. He is a conscientious and far-sighted business man and 
his executive ability is manifest in bis capable control of the business affairs 
of the News office. Prosperity has attended the undertaking, owing in no 

smal degree to the efforts of Mr. Smith. 
21 



392 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

In New Washington, Ohio, in 1892, was celebrated the marriage of 
L. M. Smith and Miss Bessie Sexauer, a daughter of C. Frederick and Mary 
( Zeigler) Sexauer. Her paternal grandparents were Christian and Caroline 
Schindler) Zeigler, both of whom were natives of Baden, Germany. They 
■came to America in 1827, locating in Sulphur Springs. After the death of 
her first husband Mrs. Sexauer married J. G. Kinnger, who opened a wagon 
shop at Sulphur Springs, Ohio. He was joined in the industry by his step- 
son, C. F. Sexauer. Together they carried on business for a number of years. 
The wife of C. F. Sexauer is a daughter of Dr. G. L. Zeigler, who was a 
prominent physician in pioneer times. Mr. Smith is a member of the Knights 
•of Pythias lodge and he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Epis- 
copal church. 

P. S. — Since the foregoing sketch of Mr. Smith was penned, the Bu- 
cyrus Publishing" Company, a stock company, was organized. The new or- 
ganization purchased the Daily and Weekly Foriim and the Semi-Weekly 
News, and combined the two newspapers. Stock in the new company was 
offered for sale to the public, many leading Democrats of the county taking 
stock. Such was the popularity of Mr. Smith that he, also being a stock- 
holder, was, upon the organization of the company, elected a director and 
the treasurer and business manager, a position he is ably filling at this writ- 
ing. 

JOSEPH W. HOLMES. 

As the prosperity or progress of a nation is the result of the aggregate 
endeavor of its individual citizens, so the history of a nation is the record of 
the aggregate achievements of its people. Biography thus becomes the very 
inundation upon which must rest all general history of mankind. The im- 
portance of making permanent record < f the life work of men who are worthy 
Mich distinction cannot be overestimated. Colonel Joseph W'illiam Plolmes 
is one who has attained distinction in connection with public affairs in Craw- 
: ord county and in the military service of his country, where he won the 
title by which he is now known. At present he is living- retired, enjoying 
a well merited rest. His lite history closely associates him with the pro- 
gress and advancement in this portion of Ohio, and therefore he well deserves 
honorable mention in this volume. 

Colonel Holmes is a native of Massachusetts, his birth having occurred 
in Dalton, in September, 1821, his parents being Joseph and Ruth Ann 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 393 

(Renne) Holmes. The father was a native of England, his birth occurring 
near the city of Boston, in Yorkshire. When a young man he crossed the 
Atlantic to the new world, and here met and married Miss Renne, who was 
a native of the Empire state. The wedding was celebrated, however, in the 
old Bay state, where they resided for a few years, after which the father 
started on a return trip to> England to settle up an estate there, and on his 
homeward journey was lost at sea. The mother had one brother who served 
in the war of 1812 and afterward became a pioneer settler of Springfield, 
Illinois, where many of his descendants are still living. 

Colonel Holmes pursued his education in the schools of his native city 
and spent much of his youth upon a farm, but, not desiring to follow agri- 
cultural pursuits as a life work, he learned the trade of cabinet-making. 
After attaining his majority he made his way to Albany, Xew York, and at 
different times resided at New Lebanon Springs, Chatham Four Corners, 
where he was engaged in business as a cabinet-maker and undertaker. While 
residing at Lebanon Springs he was united in marriage to Miss Alary Lord, 
a daughter of Joseph Lord, but she did not long survive their marriage. She 
died leaving one daughter, Mary Josephine, who is now the wife of Ernest 
S. Cooper, a merchant traveler residing in Toronto, Canada. 

Colonel Holmes continued his residence in the Empire state until 1862, 
when, the country having become involved in war over the slavery question and 
the right of the southern states to secede from the Union, he enlisted in re- 
sponse to the president's call for troops, joining the One Hundred and 
Twenty-ninth Xew York Infantry at Niagara Falls, in 1862. This was 
afterward changed to the Eighth New York Heavy Artillery and was com- 
manded by Colonel Peter A. Porter. Mr. Holmes was mustered into the 
service as captain of Company E, Eighth Regiment of New York Heavy 
Artillery, for three years, on the 22d of August, 1862; was appointed major 
011 the 19th of June, 1864, and became lieutenant colonel on the 14th of Jan- 
uary, 1865. He served in the Second Brigade, Second Arm}- Corps, of the 
Army of the Potomac, and acted as commander of the regiment and also of 
the battalion, much of the time, for Colonel Porter was killed at Cold Harbor 
while making a charge upon a masked battery and the senior major was there 
wounded, so that Colonel Holmes was left to command the battalion. When 
the start was made for the James he also commanded the battalion. The regi- 
ment numbered nineteen hundred men. On the 18th of June, 1804, in front of 
Petersburg, his promotion first came to him on the field of battle, in recog- 
nition of his coolness and braverv under fire and in return for his services in 



394 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

preventing a panic in the line in front of his command. With fixed bayonet 
he ordered his troops to gather the panic-stricken line into place until their 
officer could get the men once more under control. This prevented a great 
disaster to the Union troops. The aide at division headquarters praised this 
as one of the most prompt acts he had ever witnessed in an emergency. Col- 
onel Holmes participated in the battles of Spottsylvania Court House from 
the 1 7th to the 21st of May, 1864; Harris House, May 19: North Anna. 
May 22 to 26; Totopiitomy, May 2j to 31 ; Cold Harbor, June 3; the move- 
ment before Petersburg from the 15th of June until April, 1865; the assault 
on Petersburg, continuing from the 15th to the 19th of June, 1864: Weldon 
Railroad, June 21 to 2^; Deep Bottom, July 27 to 29; Strawberry Plains, Au- 
gust 14 to 18; Reams' Station, August 25; Boyington Plank Road, October 
2/ to 28; Dahney Mills, February 25 to 2j ; the attack on the works at Peters- 
burg, March 2^: Appomattox, from the 28th of March to the 9th of April; 
White Oak Road, March 29 to 31 ; the fall of Petersburg, on the 2d of April ; 
the battle of High Bridge, April 7 ; the engagement at Appomattox, on the 
Qth of April; and many others of lesser importance. On account of the close 
of the war Colonel Holmes was mustered out of service on the 5th of June, 
1865. In .1863 he had been made provost marshal at Fort McHenry, serv- 
ing there until the month of May, 1864. The Colonel was ever found at 
his post of duty as a faithful defender of the old Mag, and his own bravery 
and loyalty inspired his men to deeds of valor in many an attack upon the 
Rebel works or the troops in the field. 

When hostilities had ceased Colonel Holmes returned to Niagara Falls 
and entered the railway service. He was afterward at Meadville, Pennsyl- 
vania, and Kent, Ohio, and in [$65 entered the service of the Atlantic & 
Great Western Railroad, at Galion, Ohio, with which he remained for nine- 
teen years in charge of the car department. In 1884 he went to Peru, Indiana, 
in the service of the Wabash Railroad Company, and afterward to Big 
Springs, Texas, on the Gould railroad. Subsequently he returned to Peru, 
Indiana, and was later transferred to Butler, Indiana, having charge of the 
car department. When the shops were destroyed by fire he went to Alle- 
gheny, on the Pittsburg & Western Railroad, where he was made general 
foreman in the car department, acting in that capacity most acceptably until ill 
health forced his retirement in 1890. Mr. Holmes then returned to Galion, 
where he has since resided, one of the valued and honored residents of this 
place. His long continuance in the railroad service is a proof of his fidelity 
to duty and his faithful performance of all work entrusted to his care. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 395 

Colonel Holmes was united in marriage, in 1862, in Niagara Falls, New 
York, to Miss Emily Parsons, a native of that place. They now have one son, 
•Charles Parsons, who pursued his education in the public schools of Galion 
and afterward entered the railroad service, being foreman in the machine 
shops of the Big Four Railroad at Linclale, Ohio, and at the present time is 
employed in the Erie Railroad at Cleveland, this state. The family are Pres- 
byterians in religious belief, and the Colonel is a stanch Republican, having 
■supported that party since attaining his majority. Since 1846 he has been a 
valued and loyal representative of the Masonic fraternity, having joined the 
order at Chatham Four Corners, Xew York. He now belongs to the blue 
lodge, chapter, council and commandery, and has attained the Thirty-second 
degree of the Scottish Rite. He passed all the chairs in the subordinate lodge 
and was one of the organizers of Galion Lodge, No. 414, F. & A. M. He 
also belongs to the Grand Arm}- of the Republic, and in 1884 served as com- 
mander of the post in this place. His life has been open to his fellow citizens, 
and no suspicion of any doubtful practice in business has ever been attached 
to it. It has been clean in every way, and his influence has ever been for 
what is honest, for everything that is elevating, for everything' that con- 
serves the interests of the city, for everything that is sound in finance, for 
■everything that is true and everything that is right. 

JACOB H. PETRI. 

For more than a quarter of century Jacob Henry Petri has been num- 
bered among the merchants of Galion and is to-day the leading dealer in 
men's furnishing goods and clothing. He also conducts a general merchant 
tailoring establisment, and through the long period of his association with 
•commercial interests in the city he has enjoyed a large and constantly increas- 
ing patronage. A native of Germany, he was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, and 
is a son of John and Elizabeth ( Yeater) Petri, the former a farmer by occu- 
pation. In the year 1866 the subject of this review bade adieu to the father- 
land, and, with a determination to seek his fortune in the new world, crossed 
the Atlantic to the United States. He had pursued his education in the pub- 
lic schools of Germany, but aside from his education had little to aid him in 
•starting nut in life on his own account. 

Ohio became the scene of his labors, and he took up his abode in the 
city of Akron, whence he came to Galion in 1872. Here for two and a half 
years he was employed as a cutter in a merchant tailoring establishment and 



396 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

then, with the capital he had acquired through his industry and economy in 
former years, he began business on his own account, opening - a merchant 
tailoring establishment. Success crowned his efforts and in about three 
years he increased his business by adding a line of ready-made clothing, 
hats and caps; and so successfully has been his adventure that to-day he has 
one of the finest and best stocked gents' furnishing stores in Gabon. As the 
years have passed he has enjoyed an excellent trade, for his workmanship 
in the one department is reliable and the line of ready-made clothing which 
he carries is just what it is represented to be. His business methods are in 
harmony with the strictest ethics of commercial life, and his well known 
honesty and fair dealing have gained for him a liberal share of the public 
patronage. 

Mr. Petri was united in marriage to Miss Margaret B. Byrider, of Akron,. 
Ohio, and unto them have been born the following named : Edward \Y '., 
who is engaged in business with his father; Otto G., who is also in the store; 
Laura, Estella and Florence, who are at home. Mr. Petri is a valued and 
consistent member of the German Lutheran church of Gabon, in which he has 
served as trustee through the past twenty years. 

He takes quite an active interest in public affairs, doing all in his power to 
promote the substantial development and upbuilding of the community. For 
four years he was a member of the city council and for six years was trustee 
of Polk township, while for three years he occupied a position on the board 
of equalization. In 1901 he received the nomination for county commis- 
sioner on the Democratic ticket. In the positions which he has filled his fidel- 
ity to duty has been most marked and commendable and has been the salient 
feature which has caused his retention in office. He is public spirited in an 
eminent degree : national progress and local advancement are causes both 
dear to the heart of this adopted and thoroughly loyal son of the republic. 
His devotion to the country is above question, and no native son of America 
is more true to her institutions or more faithful to his duties of citizenship. 

WILLIAM LINN. 

It is generally conceded that the state of Ohio has a type of citizenship 
which is not surpassed by that of any other state in the Union. From its 
farming communities have come men of world-wide fame. Crawford county 
is particularly favored and among the representatives of old and honored^ 
families is William Linn, whose ancestors were among the early settlers. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 397 

William Linn was born in Holmes township, Crawford county, on July 
ly, 1835, a son of William and Sophia (Veivle) Linn, who reared a family 
of eight children, four of whom still survive, these being : William, of this 
sketch ; Caroline, the wife of Augustus Cronenbaugh, of Ada, Ohio ; Julia, the 
wife of Louis Holker, of Kansas City, Missouri; and Louis, of Williams 
count)', Ohio. The father and mother were born in Bavaria, Germany, and 
married there, where two children were born. In the spring of 1834 they 
emigrated to America, landing in Xew York City, after a voyage of thirty-five 
days, and coming then to Ohio, spending six months in Massillon, where Mr. 
Linn worked at his trade of shoemaker. The}' then came to Crawford county 
and settled on thirty acres of land, nearly all of which was covered with 
timber, on the Sandusky pike road, in Holmes township. Mr. Linn im- 
mediately set to work clearing' his land and built a log cabin and settled down 
to hard and laborious work. Later he purchased eighty acres, which is now 
owned by our subject, and an additional eighty acres, which is now the prop- 
erty of Henry Leimenstoll. The father lived and died on the thirty-acre farm, 
on March 30, 1895, at the advanced age of ninety-one years. His political 
choice of party had been that of Democracy. A faithful member of the 
German Lutheran church, he was valued for his man}- excellent qualities. 

Our subject was reared on the farm and found much to do while still a 
lad. His school facilities were limited, but his natural ability enabled him to 
learn quickly when he had the oportunity. In 1856 he married Miss Leah 
Fralick, a native of Holmes township, in this county, the daughter of Jacob 
Pralick, one of the early settlers of this count}". Then Mr. Linn located on 
his present home farm, which was covered with timber except some fifteen 
acres, upon which was erected a log cabin. Game was plentiful, squirrels, wild 
pigeons and wild turkeys were abundant. Mr. Linn set about industriously to 
clear his land and paid his father a stipulated sum yearly up to the time of 
his death. A number of additions have been made to the original tract, and 
now Mr. Linn owns five hundred acres of some of the very choicest land in 
Crawford county. 

A family of seven children, two boys and five girls, blessed the union of 
Mr. and Mrs. Linn, these being: Washington G., a farmer of this township; 
Lafayette, a farmer of this township; Allie J., the wife of T. W. James, of 
Holmes township : Lucy A., the wife of Charles S. Sp< ire, of I [< >lmes township ; 
Melissa, at home; Laura J., the wife of George Heilerman, of Marion county ; 
and Clara D., the wife of Welmer Sawyer, a manufacturer of soft drinks in 
Bucyrus, Ohio. 



39^ CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mr. Linn is a stanch Republican, although he was born and bred a Dem- 
ocrat. Slavery in the old party caused him to join the Republicans. For many 
years he has been a consistent member of the German Lutheran church, and is 
one of the most highly esteemed men of the county. 

DANIEL BABST. 

Daniel Babst was born at Elkirch, a little village near Strasburg, France, 
.March n. 1810. and at the time of his death had reached the advanced age 
of eighty-three years, one month and nine days. His father, Jacob Babst. was 
an officer in the French army, holding a commission from Napoleon I. His 
mother was of a wealthy and distinguished family of Great Hoffstaater, near 
the city of Berne, Switzerland. Her father was one of two staatsrather rep- 
resenting the canton of Berne in the stamde-rath of Switzerland, an elective 
body corresponding to our United States senate. 

The youth of Daniel Babst was passed amid the stirring events following 
the time of Napoleon I, a vivid impression of which he ever retained, especially 
the return of Napoleon's straggling army from Waterloo. His home being 
broken up by the death of his mother he resolved to come to America, and 
landed in New York city in the summer of 1832. Some years later he was 
followed by the members of his immediate family. In his later years he was 
fond of relating to his grandchildren his hunting" experiences on the present 
site of Central Park; Hoboken, New York's populous suburb, comprising only 
truck farms. During his three years' residence in the city he was a frequent 
witness of the heartless persecution of the embryo Abolition Association, a fact 
which accounts for his subsequent anti-slavery activity. In 1835 he removed 
to Massillon, and from there to Canal Fulton, one of the most considerable 
towns on the Ohio canal, then the only direct connection between the lakes and 
the Ohio river. At Canal Fulton he was married to Margaret Yost in 1841, 
which union was blessed by seven children, five of whom, and the aged 
mother, survive him; the children being Mrs. C. F. Frank, Jacob Babst and 
Daniel Babst, Jr., of this city, Mrs. William Ritter, of Mansfield, and Thomas 
P. Babst, of Topeka, Kansas. 

Previous to his removal to Crestline, he made an extended prospecting 
tour through the west and northwest, spending several days at the present site 
of Chicago, then a mere hamlet, presenting no very attractive inducements to 
a prospective citizen. Crestline was one of the most important railroad towns 
in the State and presented advantages to Mr. Babst. which resulted in his re- 




<&<su+^0/3c 




CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 40 1 

moval here in 1852, coming on the first passenger train of the old Pennsyl- 
vania & Ohio Railroad, the present Pennsylvania main line. Possessing con- 
siderable wealth he made extensive purchases in real estate, building and open- 
ing the American House, the present Billow block. In 1858 he built his beau- 
tiful home south of town, where he resided with his aged wife until the time of 
his death. In 1871 he founded Babst Banking House with his son, Jacob 
Babst, cashier. In 1878 he retired from all active business in favor of his 
s< us Jacob and Daniel Babst, Jr. In the business life of Crestline there has 
been no important enterprise which has not felt the influence of his energy and 
vigorous business ability. 

Never seeking political advantage, he always adhered tio the principles 
represented by the Whig and later by the Republican parties, his single polit- 
ical service being that of delegate to the national Whig convention of 1848. 
His outspoken and strong convictions on the slavery controversy are matters 
of local history well known to many of our citizens active in those violent 
times. In his retirement no picture of family love could be brighter than that 
presented by this aged couple, living in their beautiful home, surrounded by 
children and grandchildren. Fifty-two years of constant companionship had 
taught them the joys of love and contentment, easing life's cares by the confi- 
dence of mutual steadfastness, and to the immediate friends and family the 
fading outline of this happy devotion will ever be of blessed memory and a 
perpetual inspiration to ndelitv and love. 

FRANK C. McGAUGHY, D. D. S. 

Among the younger representatives of the dental fraternity in Crawford 
county is Dr. Frank Cloud McGaughy, of Gallon, who has already attained 
a success which many an older practitioner might well envy. He is a native 
of Chesterville, Ohio, and a son of Hugh P. McGaughy, one of the early 
settlers of the state, who was born at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, March 24, 
1838. His paternal grandfather was William McGaughy, of Gettysburg, who 
in pioneer days came with his family to Ohio, casting in his lot with the 
early settlers of Morrow county. Hugh P. McGaughy was only fifteen years 
of age at the time of the removal. The family located upon a farm, and there 
he was reared to manhood. After attaining his majority he was joined in 
wedlock to Miss Hannah Bonar, a native of Morrow county, Ohio, and a 
daughter of John and Clarissa (Lewis) Bonar, the latter of Knox county, 
Ohio. 



4Q2 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

The Doctor spent his youth in Chesterville and at the usual age entered 
the schools of that city, pursuing his studies there until he had completed 
the high-school course. Wishing to- devote his life to professional labors he 
resolved to join the dental fraternity and became a student in the dental de- 
partment of the Ohio Medical College, in which he was graduated with the 
class of 1897. On the 1st of July, 1898, he took up his abode in Galion, 
where he has since remained, and already he has won an enviable place among 
the representatives of his chosen calling, having a large patronage, which is 
constantly increasing. His methods are modern, his workmanship excellent 
and his knowledge of the principles of the science of dentistry is comprehensive 
and exact. Socially the Doctor is connected with the Knights of Pythias 
lodge. He is a young man of genial disposition, unfailing courtesy and gen- 
uine worth, and these qualities have rendered him very popular. 

CHRISTIAN F. EISE. 

Christian Frederick Eise, a well-known resident of Gabon, was born in 
the city which is still his home, his natal day being July 30, 1859. His parents, 
Frederick and Catherine (Poister) Eise, are both now deceased. The father 
was a railroad carpenter and was a well known and highly respected citizen 
of his community, giving special aid to the work of advancement and the 
moral interests of his county. He labored earnestly in the church and Sunday- 
school and his life was a potent influence for good. Both he and his wife were 
natives of Germany, becoming residents of Gabon in 1856. and there remaining 
until called to their final rest. 

In the public schools of his native city Christian F. Eise pursued his edu- 
cation, becoming familiar with both the German and English languages. His 
desire for newspaper work led him to serve an apprenticeship in a newspaper 
office in Indianapolis before his graduation at school, which event occurred 
in 1874. Throughout his entire business career he has been identified with 
journalistic work. In 1879 he began the publication of a paper in West 
Milton, Ohio. A year later he was appointed a historian of county histories 
and in 1881 he established the Bainbridge Courier, at Bainbridge, Ohio, con- 
tinuing as its editor and publisher until 188^. He was then employed in the 
government printing office at Washington, D. C, for a year, and afterward 
about eight years in the office of the Galion Inquirer. In 1891 he estab- 
lished the Galion Daily Leader, with which he is still connected. This is a 
wide-awake and enterprising journal and now has a good circulation, whicb 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 403 

makes it an excellent advertising medium. It is devoted to local interests 
and to the dissemination of general news, and is a journal which would prove 
creditable in almost any city. In the year 1887 Mr. Eise was elected city 
clerk of Galion and his faithfulness and ability, as well as the confidence re- 
posed in him by his fellow men, is indicated by the fact that he held the. 
office continuously for eight years. He also served as health officer, has been 
a member of the county election board and has held other important political 
positions. 

Mr. Eise was united in marriage to Miss Zetta Lois Norton, a resident 
of Yellow Springs, Ohio, the wedding being celebrated in 1881. They now 
have one child, Florence Norton, a young lady of eighteen years. Socially 
Mr. Eise is connected with the Independent Order of Foresters, with the 
Junior Order of United American Mechanics and with the Daughters of 
America. He is likewise connected with Galion Tent, Knights of the Mac- 
cabees, and has served as a delegate to the great camp. Both as a public 
citizen and as the publisher of one of the leading papers of the county Mr. 
Eise contributes in large measure to the general welfare by supporting all 
movements calculated to prove of public benefit. 

JACOB D. FIRSTENBERGER. 

Throughout the greater part of his life Jacob D. Firstenberger was a resi- 
dent of Galion and was long an active and honorable factor in the business 
interests of the city. His death occurred on the 4th of December, 1900, and 
the community thereby lost a valued resident, whom they had learned to re- 
spect and honor for his upright career and fidelity to principle. He was born 
in this city in 185 1. and was a son of Christopher Firstenberger, a native of Ger- 
many, who believing that he might find better opportunities for advancement 
in the new world crossed the Atlantic and took up his abode in Galion. Here 
in the public schools our subject acquired his education, gaining a good prac- 
tical knowledge which served him well in his business career. His first 
independent venture was as a clerk in a grocery store in Marion, and later he 
was employed in Pittsburg, but in 1874 he returned to Galion, establishing a 
grocery store on his own account and successfully conducting the same until 
his life's labors were ended. He carried a carefully selected stock of staple 
and fancy groceries and his business methods commended him to' the public 
patronage. He was fair in his dealings and in his career demonstrated the 
truth of the old adage "honesty is the best policv." 



4o 4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

In Marion county, in 1876, Air. Firstenberger was united in marriage to 
Miss Lydia Dutt, a native of that county and a daughter of Michael and Cath- 
erine ( Meily) Dutt. Her father was a grocer and took up his abode in 
Marion county at an early day, coming to this country from Germany in his 
youth. Mrs. Dutt was a daughter of William Meily, of Marion, a brother 
of Henry Meily, father of Mrs. Senator Brice and Mrs. General Or. Mrs. 
Firstenberger still survives her husband and is yet living in Galion, where she 
has made her borne since her marriage and where she has many warm friends. 

In public affairs Mr. Firstenberger always took a very active and unselfish 
interest, doing everything in bis power to promote the measures and move- 
ments which be believed would prove of general good. In politics be was a 
Democrat, served as assessor for about six years, was a member of the board 
of equalization for three years, was elected to the office of trustee of Polk 
township in 1895, was re-elected in 1898, and during the last three years of 
liis service in that capacity he served as the president of the board. When 
sixteen years of age he was confirmed in the German Reformed church and 
was ever afterward a consistent member. He enjoyed the uniform confidence 
and esteem of all throughout the county by reason of his irreproachable 
official career and as a business man and citizen. 

WILLIAM H. SHECKLER. 

William H. Sheckler is a well-known resident of Bucyrus, where he 
has served as pension attorney for fourteen years, while since 1896 he has oc- 
cupied the position of justice of the peace. He is a native of the city which 
is yet bis home, bis birth having occurred July 13, 1847. The family is of 
German lineage, the grandfather of our subject having been born in Baden, 
Germany, near Heidelberg. Hugh Sheckler, the father, was born in Bedford 
count)', Pennsylvania, in the year 1818, and there resided until 1847, when he 
came to Bucyrus and engaged in business as a wagon-maker. He was thus 
identified with the industrial interests of the city for a number of years, and 
later in life be located on a farm one mile north of the town, where he en- 
gaged in the dairy business, meeting with creditable success in the under- 
taking. He was a well-known and respected cutizen, faithful to the obliga- 
tions of both public and private life. His death occurred in 1888, when he 
had reached the psalmist's span of three score years and ten. His wife bore 
the maiden name of Susan Cheney and was also a native of Pennsylvania, 
although her parents were born in Holland. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 405 

William H. Sheckler is indebted to the public school system of Bucyrus 
for the educational privileges which he enjoyed. He was about sixteen years 
of age when he entered the military service of his country, enlisting in Feb- 
ruary, 1864, as a member of Company E, Thirty-fourth Ohio Infantry 
(known as the First Ohio Piatt Zouaves), in which he remained until the 
close of the war. The regiment was assigned to the Army of West Virginia, 
and he participated in the campaign of the Shenandoah valley under General 
Phil Sheridan. January 11, 1865, he was captured, with the balance of his 
regiment, at Beverly, West Virginia, and in Libby prison spent two months 
and was then exchanged. When hostilities had ceased and the stars and 
stripes were planted in the capital of the southern Confederacy he returned 
to his home in Bucyrus, where he has remained continuously since. For four- 
teen years he has been notary public and for a similar period has been pension 
attorney, representing the interests of the soldiers who fought for the preserva- 
tion of the Union and were thereby somewhat unfitted for the duties of a. 
business career. In 1896 he was elected justice of the peace on the Republican 
ticket for a term of three years. In the meantime his political views changed 
and became an adherent of the Democracy, so that in 1899 ne was rnade the 
candidate of that party for the same office, in which he was re-elected. He 
is strictly fair and impartial in the discharge of his duties, his decisions being 
based upon the facts in the case and the law applicable thereto. In 1870 Mr. 
Sheckler married Ida Reed, who died in 1873, leaving one child, a daughter, 
Fairy. 

In 1877 Mr. Sheckler was united in marriage to- Miss Sarah Steele, a 
daughter of William Steele, who came from Pennsylvania to Bucyrus. She 
died in 1883, leaving no children. Air. Sheckler holds membership in the 
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Grand Army Post, of Bu- 
cyrus, in which he is serving as commander. The high esteem in which he is 
held, not only in official circles, but among all his acquaintances, speaks better 
than words can do concerning his character as a man and a citizen, one in 
whom his town and county have a just pride. 

G. W. BURT. 

G. W. Burt, who fills the important position of station agent for the Big 
Four Railroad Company at Gabon, and for the American Express Company, 
has occupied these positions for more than a quarter of a century. He is a 
native of what at the time of his birth was Marion county, Ohio, but is now 



406 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Morrow county. His father, Ebenezer Burt, took up his abode in Marior. 
county in 1820. removing to Ohio from Greene county, Pennsylvania. There 
he died when our subject was only two and a half years of age, passing away 
in 1835. Hi s vv if e bore the maiden name of Sarah Hernard and resided in 
Greene county, Pennsylvania. 

During his youth, Air. Burt of this review, pursued his education in the 
public schools. He entered the railroad service in 1852, and has since been 
one of its representatives. In 1855 he secured a situation as telegraph opera- 
tor and clerk at Shelby, Richland county, Ohio, and was there located during 
the period of the Civil war. After various removals he came to Gabon in 
1874 and has remained here continuously since, covering a period of twenty- 
seven consecutive years. He is one of the most trusted and reliable employes 
of the company, very careful and painstaking in the discharge of his duties and 
loyal to the trusts reposed in him. Socially he is identified with the Masonic 
Order and has attained the Thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite, belong- 
ing to Cleveland Consistory. In his political affiliations he is a Republican. 

JOHX C. SCHIEBER. 

Among the old and highly esteemed farmers of Holmes township is John 
Christian Schieber, who came here when this locality was still covered with its 
native growth of timber. His birth was in Germany, a country which has 
contributed many excellent citizens to America, and he was born September 
27, 1828. He was a son of Gottleib and Alagdalena (Brosie) Schieber, the 
former of whom was born in Y\ urtemberg, Germany, in 1794, and the latter 
in the same place, in 1802. In 1832, with their rive children and a large party 
of neighbors and friends, they emigrated to the United States. They had 
some section in the state of Ohio as their destination, and came by way of the 
lakes as far as Sandusky. A former neighbor by the name of Fred Feichtner 
had located some years previously in Crawford county, and the Germans deter- 
mined to find him, if possible, and follow his advice in the matter of locating 
homes of their own in this county. With this end in view, Gottleib Schieber, 
with several of his fellow emigrants, left their families in Sandusky and set 
out on foot to find their friend, although their knowledge of his whereabouts 
was very vague. However, after a long and wearisome trip, they found him, 
most comfortably located in Liberty township near Broken Sword. The ap- 
pearance of the surrounding country pleased them, and after a short visit they 
started back, on foot, as they came. At Sandusky they procured teams and 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 407 

brought their effects to this locality and then turned their industrious efforts 
to clearing and improving the land. 

Mr. Schieber bought a tract of forty acres from J. Caris. and soon after 
this he entered forty acres and gradually added more until his farm consisted 
of one hundred and ten acres. This constituted the homestead where the 
children were born and where they grew, to maturity. The children num- 
bered nine in all, their names being : Christopher, Gottleib, Fredericka, Chris- 
tian, Jacob, Catherine, John, Abraham and Mary, the survivors being our 
subject; Catherine, the widow of Christian Brown, of Sandusky township; 
and Mary, the wife of Solomon Shupp, of Nebraska. The father of our sub- 
ject died in 1870, but the mother survived until 1893, when she had reached 
her ninety-first year. In early life he was a Democrat, but the issues of the 
Civil war made him a Republican, though in his later years he returned to the 
Democratic part}-. For many years he was a leading member of the Lutheran 
church, and was one 1 »f the highly esteemed citizens of the county. 

John Christian Schieber, the subject of this sketch, was reared in the pio- 
neer home and received but few educational advantages because good school 
privileges were not obtainable at that time and place. He possessed an abund- 
ance of natural intelligence, was energetic and industrious, and by the time he 
had reached his majority understood all of the demands of an agricultural life. 
In February, 1852, he was married to Miss Leah Hershberger, who was born 
in Lancaster county. Pennsylvania, and was the daughter of Jacob Hersh- 
berger, who came to Crawford count}- about 1848. A family of children 
grew up around our subject and wife, viz. : Samuel, of Oklahoma; Amanda, 
the wife of Emanuel Haller, of this township; Jacob, of this township; Jo- 
seph, of Chicago, Illinois; Elizabeth, the wife of Samuel Mack, of this 
township; Matilda, at home; Charles, the farmer on the home farm; and Ida, 
at home. 

After marriage our subject settled on a farm of eighty acres located in 
Liberty township, which he purchased of his father, and here he erected a 
hewed-log house and a round-log barn, some six years later replacing the lat- 
ter with a substantial frame barn. This land was all heavily covered with a 
native growth of timber with the exception of nine acres, and it required four- 
teen years of industry to redeem the whole tract from the forest. In 1866 
our subject sold this farm and purchased the farm which he now occupies. 
At one time he owned three hundred and twenty acres, but has retained but 
one hundred and sixty, which is admirably managed by his son Charles. 

In politics Mr. Schieber is a member of the Republican party and one of 



4o8 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the leading members of the Methodist church, to which his estimable wife also 
belongs. During his long life in the township he has seen many changes and 
has done his share in the development of the county, and now enjoys the 
esteem of the whole community. 

CHARLES E. KIMERLINE. 

The medical profession is ably represented in Crawford county, Ohio, 
and one of the best known members there is Charles Edward Kimerline, of 
Lykens village, who as a physician of wide and accurate knowledge has won 
an enviable professional success and stands deservedly high in the esteem of 
his fellow citizens. 

Charles E. Kimerline, M. D., was born at New Washington. Ohio, July 
4, 1S71. a son of Lewis J. Kimerline. a well known citizen of that town. He 
was graduated at the public schools of New Washington, in 1889, and re- 
ceived the degree of bachelor of science at the Ohio Normal University, in 
1892. From 1893 to 1896, he was a student in the medical department of the 
Western Reserve University. After his graduation from that institution with 
the degree of medical doctor, he located at Lykens village, where he entered 
upon the practice of his profession to which he has since given his undivided 
attention. He has became favorably known throughout the surrounding 
country and has a satisfactory and constantly increasing practice. In politics 
he is a Democrat and wields a recognized influence in local affairs, but he is 
not an office-seeker nor in the ordinary sense of the term a practical politician, 
but his public spirit is such that he is a useful and helpful citizen ready at all 
times to further all worthy objects. He was married June 24, 1897, to Miss 
Fairy Scott and the)- have a daughter whom they have named Mary Scott. 
He is a member of the German Lutheran church. 

C. P. FRANK. 

Among the representatives of railroad interests residing in Crestline is 
Mr. Frank, who occupies the position of foreman of the copper shops for the 
Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad Company. He was born in 
Butler county, Pennsylvania, January 21, 1839. His father. John G. Frank, 
was a native of Muelhausen. Germany, was there reared and learned the tan- 
ner's trade. In 1835 he came to America, locating in Butler county, Penn- 
sylvania, at the little town of Saxonburg, where he carried on tanning and 




<?<§. 



Ax)" 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 411 

farming. There he died in 1870, at the age of seventy years, his birth having 
occurred in 1800. He was a member of the German Lutheran church and a 
man of the highest respectability. He wedded Mary Schneider, also a native 
of the fatherland. She had previously been married and was the widow of 
Carl Haulm. By her first husband she had five children, and by the second 
marriage she became the mother of five children. 

C. P. Frank, the eldest son and the second number of the family, was 
reared in his native county until seventeen years of age and acquired his educa- 
tion in the common schools, which he attended for about three months each 
year. When a youth of seventeen he began learning the coppersmith's trade 
at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, serving an apprenticeship of four years, after 
which he entered the employ of the firm of Prior, Harbeck & Company, of 
Cleveland, Ohio, .where he continued for nine months. On the expiration of 
that period he went to Galion, becoming an employe of the old Bee Line Com- 
pany, with which he continued for four years. The year 1863 witnessed his 
arrival in Crestline, where he has since made his home. Here he engaged 
with the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, working at his trade as a 
journeyman. The business at that time was small but has continually in- 
creased in volume and importance, and he has remained steadily with the com- 
pany in the position which he now occupies with the exception of one year 
when he was granted a leave of absence. Pie has been foreman of the com- 
pany for thirty-six years and is one of its oldest and most reliable employes, 
carefully superintending the department of which he has charge, the work- 
manship being of a high grade. 

On the 4th of February, 1862, Air. Frank was united in marriage to Miss 
Fllen A. Keen, a native of Germany, but when three years of age was brought 
to America by her parents, the family locating in Crawford count}-, where they 
were early settlers There her girlhood days were passed and the common 
schools afforded her her educational privileges. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Frank 
have been born six children: John E., who resides at Mt. Pleasant, Jefferson 
county. Ohio, is agent for the Lake Erie & Western Railroad Company; Mary 
M. is the wife of Dr. I. \\". Larkworthy, of Ottawa, Ohio; Willard A. is a 
machinist employed by the Erie Company at Galion; and Frederick G. is with, 
his father, working at the trade of coppersmith. Nellie C. and Alice J., two 
daughters of the family, died in earlv childhood. In his political views Mr. 
Frank is an earnest Republican, giving an unfaltering support to the prin- 
ciples of his party. Fraternally he is identified with the Masonic Order and 
for a number of years has affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
22 



4i2 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

lows. He and his family belong to the Presbyterian church, in which he has 
long been a trustee. Faithful to duty and the trusts reposed in him in busi- 
ness life, he is also recognized as a public spirited citizen and a man of true 
worth of character. 

WILLIAM HOOD CRITZER. 

.Mam- people give music the highest rank among the fine arts. It has not 
the limitations of sculpturing or painting, it is not bounded by form, color or 
:size, and therefore leaves much greater play to the imagination. It reaches 
man only through the sense of hearing aiM exercises over him an intangible 
power the more strongly felt because indescribable. From the remotest ages 
it has administered to man pleasure, has given enthusiasm to the soldier on 
the field of battle, brought comfort to the sorrowing and heightened the happi- 
ness of the joyful. It appeals to and touches all classes of people as no- other 
art does, and. in fact, is the only universal language. The musical taste and 
culture of Crawford county has largely been promoted through the efforts of 
Professor William Hood Critzer, who is director of music in the public schools 
of Gabon, Mount Gilead and Crestline, having thus been connected with the 
•esthetic education of three towns since 1891. 

Professor Critzer is numbered among Ohio's native sons, his birth having 
occurred in Pike township, Fulton county, in 1857. and his parents being 
William and Amelia ( Mathews) Critzer. His father was a native of Fred- 
crick, Maryland, being born July 17, 1810; the mother, of Wheeling, West 
Virginia, was born August 4, 1824. The grandfather of our subject was 
Jaci b Critzer, who was born in Maryland, October 10, 1780. He was a 
stone-mas< m and followed contracting throughout his life. He was married 
to Elizabeth Beckenbough, October 9, 1803. His good wife died August 
20, 1821. and he passed away January 20, 1831. On the maternal side Mr. 
Critzer*s ancestry can be traced back to Charles Hood, his great-grandfather, 
who erected the first of the Ellicot mills in Maryland just after the close of 
the Revolution and was a very prominent factor in the substantial upbuilding 
of that portion of the state. The maternal grandfather of our subject, Elzc 
Mathews, was a. resident of West Virginia, but at an early day came to Ohio, 
locating in Franklin county, near Columbus. He brought with him his slaves 
whom he had owned in the south, and here gave them their freedom. The 
father of our subject was reared at Frederick, Maryland, and earlv in life 
began teaching school, which he followed for several rears, and after his 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 413 

marriage, accompanied by his young bride, emigrated to Fulton county, Ohio, 
where they shared the trials and hardships of frontier life. Here he cleared 
his land and followed farming for many years, when eventually he sold his 
farm and moved to Delta, Fulton county, where he engaged in the milling 
business as buyer and seller of grains. While here he was elected mayor, and 
had the honor of being the first mayor of Delta. Subsequently he removed 
to Ai, Fulton county, where he purchased a drug store, which he successfully 
conducted throughout the remainder of his life, dying October 29, 1874. In 
his political views he was a Republican. 

Professor Critzer's love of music was early manifest. From his boyhood 
he displayed exceptional fondness for the art, and when a youth of twelve, 
after much coaxing, he persuaded his father to buy him a flute, which he 
learned to play unaided. When sixteen years of age he began his preliminary 
training in vocal culture, under the direction of W. H. Leibe, of Kansas City, 
Missouri, and afterward studied under the direction of Dr. George A. Veazie, of 
Chelsea, Massachusetts, and his later preceptors were James M. McLaughlin, of 
Boston, and Dr. Lowell Mason, of the same city. He completed his studies 
in the Detroit Conservatory, where he was graduated in 1890. He had made 
possible the continuation of his musical education through the work which he 
had done as a teacher. .He was conductor of music in the Northwestern Nor- 
mal Collegiate Institute, in Wauseon, Ohio, in 1887, but previous to this time 
he spent from 1885 to 1887 a s musical director in the Fayette Normal Music 
and Business College. He gave private instructions as opportunity offered, 
and while in Detroit he conducted the St. George's boy choir and" was pre- 
ceptor in the Central Methodist Episcopal Sabbath-school. In 1891 he ac- 
cepted the position of musical director in the public schools of Galion, Mount 
Gilead and Crestline. In the first named he has charge of four school build- 
ings, giving instruction to the pupils of the various departments ten days each 
month. He spends four days in Mount Gilead and four days in Crestline, 
and under his leadership the schools have made rapid and commendable ad- 
vancement in music, the high school of Galion having a reputation unexcelled 
by any similar institution in the state. Professor Critzer is also choir master 
of four choirs, that of the Methodist Episcopal church, the German Reformed 
church, the English Lutheran church and the United Brethren church. He is 
also conductor of the Galion Choral Society, of seventy-five voices. The 
work undertaken by the high school of Galion is of a very high and classical 
order. In the year 1900 they gave a rendition of Haydn's '•Creation," with 



4 i4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

two hundred voices, assisted by the Choral Society, and in 1901 they gave a 
most excellent production « I Handel's "Messiah." 

Professor Critzer was united in marriage to Miss Cora M. Nobbs, of 
Fulton county, a daughter of James and Ann ( Fetterman ) Nobbs, her parents 
being among the pioneer settlers of Fulton county, coming from England to 
this state. The Professor and his wife now have rive children, — Edna, Ruth. 
Walter Eugene, Paul and Marjorie .May. The family is one of prominence 
in the community, occupying a leading position in social circles, where culture 
and intelligence are received as the passport into good society. The Professor 
is a member of Masonic Lodge Xo. 414, in Gabon, the Order of Foresters and 
the Tribe of Ben Hur. His influence in the two cities of Crawford county 
and the county seat of Morrow county with which he is connected is incal- 
culable, but is certainly very far-reaching and very beneficial. To no other 
citizen is the advancement of musical taste so justly accredited, and through 
his dissemination of the knowledge of the art he has added greatly to the 
enjoyment and happiness which should form no small part of life. 

R. C. TRACFIT. 

Among the leading attorneys of Gabon is R. C. .Tracht, who, though a 
young man, has gained distincti< n as a member of the bar by reason ot quali- 
fications that always insure success. Endowed by nature with strong men- 
tality and developing his powers through study and close application, he is 
now occupying a position in the legal fraternity that many an older lawyer 
might well envy. 

He is numbered among the native sons of Crawford county, his birth 
having occurred in Jefferson township in 1866. He is of German-English 
lineage, and his family is one of a group of pioneers who have made Crawford 
one of the foremost counties in the great northwest. In his boyhood he at- 
tended the public schools in his native township and later became a student in 
the Roanoke Seminary, in Roanoke, Indiana, his studies there being supple- 
mented bv a course in the United Brethren Normal Academy at Fostoria, 
Ohio. In 1883 he began teaching school, and for five years successfully fol- 
lowed that profession, being recognized as a teacher of exceptional ability. 
In the fall of 1888 he matriculated in the Ohio Norma] University at Ada, 
Ohio, where he was graduated in July, 1892, with the degree of Bachelor of 
Arts. On the 7th of December, [893, lie was admitted to the bar. and his 
pr< gress has been marked and rapid in his professional career. Fie is a stu- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 415 

dent, earnest and discriminating, and his knowledge of legal principles is pro- 
found and comprehensive. Thorough preparation well tits him for the con- 
tests of the courtroom, where he has won many victories for his clients. A 
careful and conscientious counselor and an able advocate, he holds his pro- 
fessional integrity as a sacred trust. 

Mr. Tracht was married to Miss Myrtle Gledhill, a daughter of Joseph 
Gledhill, of Jefferson township. Our suhject and his wife hold membership 
in the English Lutheran church, and in his political views he is a stalwart 
Democrat. He possesses exceptional oratorical ability and power, and 
through the past live years has delivered many political addresses which in 
their effective eloquence have wrought good for the party. He has been hon- 
ored with a number of local offices, and in 1898 he was a prominent candidate 
for nomination for prosecuting attorney, but was defeated by a small vote. 
His education and his success are due to his own efforts. His own labor pro- 
vided him with the means of continuing his more advanced study, and since 
entering upon his professional career his thorough understanding of legal 
principles, combined with the utmost fidelity to his clients' interest, have 
insured him continued advancement. 

charles w. Mccracken. 

The name of McCracken has been so long closely connected with the 
history of Crawford county that representatives of the family need no special 
introduction to the readers of this volume. James McCracken, the father of 
him whose name introduces this review, was the first mayor of Bucvrus. and 
through many years took a leading part in the work of public progress along 
the lines of material, intellectual and moral advancement. 

He was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, July 16. 1800. a 
son of James and Rachel ( Kelly) McCracken, both of whom were natives of 
Ireland. After arriving at man's estate the former came to the new world, 
the date of his emigration being about 1790. The Kellys, however, came to 
the United States before the Revolution, and the great-grandfather of our 
subject served as a quartermaster in the American army during the struggle 
for independence. Being captured, he was placed on an English prison ship 
in Xew York harbor, where he was incarcerated for some time. James Mc- 
Cracken, Sr., located in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, upon a farm 
seven miles from Greensburg. He was married in that state to Miss Kelly, 
and in 1807 removed to Columbiana county, Ohio, where he made his home 



416 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

for about nine years. In 1816 lie went to Wayne county, taking up his abode 
near Wooster. In that year his wife was drowned in Killbuck creek. The 
children of their family were: James, the father of our subject; Thomas and 
Nathaniel, who lived and died in Columbiana county; John, who became a 
resident of Crawford county; Mrs. John Moderwell, who died in Crawford 
county, where her husband served as sheriff; Mrs. Josiah Scott, who also died 
in this county and whose husband was a judge of the supreme court of Ohio 
and for twenty years practiced law in Bucyrus and in Hamilton ; and Mrs. 
Hattie Adair, of Wayne county, Ohio. 

James McCracken, the father of our subject, accompanied his parents on 
their removal to this state, residing first in Columbiana and afterward in 
Wayne county. From Wooster, Ohio, he came to Bucyrus, in 1825. He was 
a wheelwright by trade, and for some years engaged in the manufacture of 
spinning-wheels at this place. A recognized leader in public thought and ac- 
tion, he took a very prominent part in public affairs and had marked influence 
in shaping the policy of the county and promoting its interests. On the in- 
corporation of Bucyrus, in 1832, he was elected its mayor. For many years 
he served as justice of the peace, discharging his duties in a strictly fair and 
impartial manner, and from 1840 until 1844 he served as postmaster of the 
county seat. He married Miss Ruth Marquis, a daughter of William V. 
Marquis, who came to Crawford county in 1829, settling on a farm two miles 
south of Bucyrus. Her mother bore the maiden name of Mary Park and was 
a native of Washington county. Pennsylvania. Her father was killed by the 
Indians soon after the close of the Revolutionary war. From Belmont 
county, Ohio, the Marquis family came to Crawford county, but the father of 
Mrs. McCracken was a native of Virginia, born in Winchester, where his 
people lived during the Revolutionary days. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. 
McCracken was blessed with eight children, who attained to years of matur- 
ity. Portia A., the eldest, died in Bucyrus. William V., who married Juliet 
Mason, of Tiffin, Ohio, died in New York City. He was a soldier in the 
Civil war, serving as captain of a company in the One Hundred and Twenty- 
third Ohio Infantry and remaining at the front for two and a half years. 
Joseph Kelly, who was orderly sergeant in the Eighty-sixth Regiment of 
Ohio Volunteers, married Miss Ella A. Davis and is living in Fort Wayne, 
Indiana. Alexander McBride, a resident of Louisville, Kentucky, married 
Miss Augusta F. Van Fleet, of Pennsylvania. Augusta N. is librarian of 
the Memorial Library, of Bucyrus. Harvey Marquis, who married Cather- 
ine Freeman, of Fort W r ayne, Indiana, is now living in Louisville, Kentucky. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 417- 

Charles W., the youngest of the family, is yet a resident of Bucyrus. The 
children were all educated in the schools of this city. The sons are mostly 
connected with railway business, and in politics are Republicans. The father 
of the family died in Bucyrus in 1875. at the age of seventy-five years, and in 
his death the community lost one of its most valued and reliable citizens 

Charles Wallace McCracken, whose name introduces this review, is a 
civil engineer, and has followed his profession all over the county. His 
marked skill and ability in that line and his efficiency have won him a liberal 
patronage. From 1886 until 1890 he was state canal commissioner, having 
been appointed to that office by Governor Bushnell. 

E. M. FREESE. 

The subject of this notice, the senior member of E. M. Freese & Com- 
pany, manufacturers of clay-working machinery and appliances at Galion, 
Ohio, was born in Medina county, this state, September 23, 1845, a son °* 
Harlow and Almira (Morton) Freese, the former a native of Lee, Massachu- 
setts, and the latter of Pittsfield, that state. Harlow Freese was a son of B. 
W. and Clarrissa (Beaumont) Freese, who removed from Lee, Massachu- 
setts, when Harlow was eight years of age, in 1818, and located in Brunswick, 
Medina county, Ohio, becoming the owner of about one thousand acres of land, 
then an unbroken wilderness, and engaged extensively in farming. 

Harlow Freese grew to manhood in Brunswick and there married Almira 
Morton, continuing his residence there during his life and following the 
occupation of a farmer, and was an exemplary man and an estimable citizen. 
To Harlow and Almira (Morton) Freese were born two children (sons), E.. 
M. and M. L. Freese. The last mentioned died about twenty years ag< k 
Harlow Freese died in 1890, at the age of eighty years, and Almira, his wife, 
in 1887, at the age of seventy years. 

E. M. Freese obtained a practical education in the public schools near his 
home. Early in life he developed a decided love of mechanics, and following 
his inclinations he became, at the age of twenty, a machinist's apprentice at the 
works of Turner Parks & Company, manufacturers of grain-cleaning and 
sewer-pipe machinery at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where during the succeeding 
four years he gained much proficiency in mechanical work. He then entered 
the shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Crestline. Ohio, where 
he was employed until 1881. Here, by the exercise of industry and economy. 
he accumulated the means with which to engage in a small way in the nianu- 



418 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

facture of clay-working machinery at Plymouth, Ohio. Beginning with two 
partners, he successively purchased the interests of each and became sole owner 
of the business in i 890, and has continued the same up to the present time. By 
the advantage of natural mechanical genius and persistent and industrious 
effort, he was able to greatly improve the machinery used for the manufacture 
of building, street-paving and fire brick, and for terra-cotta, fire-proofing and 
drain tile, and was largely instrumental in this way in revolutionizing these 
industries, which have had a wonderful growth in the United States, the value 
of clay products now ( 1901 ) amounting to about one hundred million dollars 
yearly. Conservative methods soon placed the venture upon a firm footing 
and the business was constantly increased in extent and larger facilities became 
necessary, and in 1891 the works were removed to Gabon, Ohio, where they 
are permanently located, occupying extensive and commodious buildings 
erected for the purpose and equipped with modern machinery and appliances 
especially suited to this class of manufacture and with many conveniences not 
usually found in other works of this kind. The machinery manufactured here 
is sold in all parts of the United States and in some foreign countries, and is 
noted for originality of design, the economy of its operation and the supe- 
riority of the wares it produces. 

Familiarity with all details of the manufacture and sale of the variety o J i 
machinery in this class now manufactured, and painstaking and conscientious 
attention to the demands of the trade, on the part of the subject of this sketch, 
have developed a large and prosperous business which is destined to continue 
to flourish. 

In 1882 E. M. Freese was married to Miss Rosina Berger, of Gabon. 
They have three children, — Herbert H., Arthur J. and Horace E. Freese. 

JOHN REXROTH. 

There is much in the life history of John Rexroth that is worthy of emu- 
lation. He possessed a determined, resolute character that was well balanced 
by sound judgment and upright principles, and throughout his business career 
he not only won prosperity but also gained for himself that good name which 
is rather to be chosen than great riches, thus leaving to his family a priceless 
heritage. 

Mr. Rexroth was born in Bucyrus, on the 10th of May. 1835, and died 
on his farm two miles south of the city. May 8, 1895, when sixty years of 
age, lacking two days. Fie was the son of John X. and Anna M. (Wirtman) 




^d^/^ 



C~<isC/< 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 421 

Rexroth. The father was born in the village of Erbach, Hesse-Darmstadt, 
Germany, November 6, 1800, and in his native land attended school between 
the ages of six and fourteen years, after which he learned the trade of black- 
smithing, following that pursuit in his native country until thirty years of 
age, when he came to the United States. He landed at Baltimore after a 
voyage of six months, being shipwrecked twice on the way. In Baltimore 
he met and married Anna M. Wirtman, the wedding being celebrated on the 
1st of March, 1831. The lady was born near Carlsruhe, Baden, and came to 
America about the same time her husband made the voyage — the only one of 
her family to seek a home in this country. Immediately after their marriage 
they removed to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where they remained for a little 
more than a year, and in 1833 they came to Bucyrus. The father followed 
his trade until 1855. In the meantime he resided in Winchester from 1839 
until 1849. He accumulated property rapidly, but by going security for others 
he lost nearly all that he had made with the exception of his home. He was 
reared a Lutheran but when he came to Bucyrus he united with the Evangeli- 
cal Association — a society which did not prosper, however, and he afterward 
joined the German Methodist Episcopal church. He remained a devoted 
Christian up to the time of his death, which occurred on the 15th of June, 
1867. He was the father of ten children, nine of whom reached years of 
maturity, namely: Adam, deceased; Catherine; John, deceased; Daniel; 
Elizabeth, deceased: Sarah; David; Margaret; and Lydia, deceased. 

John Rexroth was only three years of age when his parents removed 
from Bucyrus to Winchester, where ten years of his youth were passed. He 
attended school there for three months each year, and in 1849 he again be- 
came a resident of Bucyrus, where he continued his studies in the winter sea- 
son until 1854. and throughout the remainder of the year he assisted his 
father in the blacksmith shop. About this time, however, his father met with 
reverses in financial life and our subject and his brother rented farming land 
and by farming and teaming supported the family. In 1857 the family ex- 
changed town property for eighty acres of land lying just south of Bu- 
cvrus, to which they removed, remaining there for some time, after which 
they took up their abode upon another farm near by. That continued to 
be their home until after the death of the father in 1867, when they returned 
to Bucyrus. 

Thus far John Rexroth had been a member of his father's family, but 
on the 18th of December, 1867. he was united in marriage to Miss Maggie 
S. Frey, a daughter of John Martin and Magdaline (Lininger) Frey, who 



422 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

were natives of Germany and came to America in 1853, settling in Plymouth, 
Ohio, whence they removed to Bncyrns. They spent their last days, how- 
ever, in the home of their daughter, Mrs. Rexroth. She was born in Ger- 
many and was a little maiden of six summers when her parents came to the 
United States. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Rexroth were born the following chil- 
dren: Charles F., a farmer of Bucyrus township, who was born October 1, 
1868, and married Catherine Keiffer ; John Jay, who died when about three 
years of age; Lillian Iona, born Jul)- 5, 1875; Royal A., born December 8, 
1877; Clyde N., born September 15, 1879; and Elva May, born July 8, 1881. 
After his marriage Air. Rexroth removed to the farm upon which his 
widow yet resides and began the cultivation of the land .He became one of 
the largest agriculturists and stock raisers of the county and his landed pos- 
sessions were extensive. For years his flock of sheep outnumbered almost 
every other in the county and this branch of his business proved to him a 
profitable industry. For a number of years he successfully conducted his 
business affairs and year by year his capital increased, but one cold night 
a few months before his death his home was destroyed by fire, and the ex^ 
posure which he endured brought on a severe cold, which eventually ter- 
minated his life. His was a useful career, and in business affairs steady ad- 
vancement attended his earnest and well directed efforts, so that he left 
his family in comfortable circumstances. In politics he was always a Re- 
publican, and in religious belief he was a Methodist, belonging to the church 
in Bucyrus. A straightforward business man, a faithful friend, a devoted 
husband and father and an earnest Christian, in his death the community 
lost one of its valued representatives. 

BURTON R. MILLER, M. D. 

Dr. Miller, who occupies an enviable position as a member of the medical 
fraternity in New Washington, was born November 16, 1864, in what was 
known as the Half Way House, located midway between Tiffin and Republic, 
in Clinton township, Seneca county, Ohio. His parents were Peter and 
Lovina (Robenalt) Miller. The father was born September 16, 1833, in 
Ontario county, New York, and was a son of Daniel and Anna ( Bergstresser) 
Miller, both of whom were of German descent and were probably natives of 
the Empire state. With their family they removed to Seneca county, Ohio 1 , in 
1837, locating in Scipio> township. Subsequently they removed to Lincoln 
township, where they spent their remaining days. The father of our subject 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 4?3 

was reared under the parental roof and in early life learned the trade of a 
cooper. As the family located in the midst of the vast wilderness, he also did 
his share in the work of reclaiming the wild lands for purposes of civilization, 
cutting away the trees and preparing the fields for the plow. On the 2d of 
March, 1854, he was united in marriage to Miss Lovina Robenalt, a native of 
Clinton township, Seneca county, and a daughter of Solomon and Catherine 
(Powell) Robenalt, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, but were of 
German descent. Coming to Ohio in 1829, they took up their abode in 
Seneca county, where they remained until called to the home beyond. The 
grandfather of our subject died in 1863, at the age of sixty-two years, and 
his wife, long surviving him, passed away in 1881, at the age of eighty years. 

After his marriage Peter Miller and his wife began their domestic life 
upon a small farm in the eastern part of Clinton township. He there built a 
log cabin and a log shop, and of evenings and on rainy days when he could not 
work in the fields he followed coopering - , but in good weather he worked upon 
farms, and thus in two years he was enabled to pay for his property. He 
purchased the Half Way House, which he used as a residence. He continued 
his coopering business and resided there until 1805. when he exchanged his 
property for a dwelling in Tiffin, and in that city he followed his chosen trade 
for three years. On the expiration of that period he purchased the old Robe- 
nalt homestead and removed to the farm, which is located four miles east of 
Tiffin. For five years he resided in the old pioneer log house and then pur- 
chased an adjoining farm, upon which he erected a modern and commodious 
brick dwelling, making one of the handsomest homes in the county. He con- 
tinued coopering until within the past ten years, but now gives his entire atten- 
tion to the management of his extensive farming interests. He is a Democrat 
in his political affiliations, and for twelve years he served as trustee of his 
township, called again and again to that office by his fellow townsmen, who 
recognize his worth and ability. He is one of the influential men in his dis- 
trict, and wherever known is held in high regard. Socially he is connected 
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Seneca Lodge. Xo. 
35, of Tiffin. 

In 1887 Mr. Miller was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who 
died on the 28th of February of that year. She was an active and earnest 
member of the Lutheran church, to which Mr. Miller also belongs, being one 
of its liberal supporters and zealous advocates. This worthy couple were the 
parents of seven children, of whom six are yet living, namely: Franklin P., 
of Morris, Ohio ; Orlando A., who is living near Lawton, Michigan ; Daniel 



424 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

\\\, who makes his home in Clinton township, Seneca county, Ohio; Alice V., 
wife of Otto F. Swander, of "West Lodi, Ohio; Burton R., of this review; and 
Anna May, wife of N. R. Heaton, of Clinton township, Seneca county. 

! )r. Miller pursued his education in the country schools until he had mas- 
tered the common English branches of learning and later became a student in 
the Milan Normal, the Fostoria Normal and in Heidelberg University, at 
Tiffin, Ohio. He attended the country schools, however, until he was twenty 
years of age, and then successfully passed an examination entitling him to 
teach in the country schools. On his twenty-first birthday he began educa- 
tional work, and followed teaching for five terms, during which period his 
salary was steadily increased, and when called to the Tiffin schools he received 
twenty-five cents more per day than an}- other teacher in the township. In 
the autumn of 1890 he began teaching as principal of the fourth school dis- 
trict in Tiffin, where he remained for four years. Determining to make the 
practice of medicine his life work, he began reading under the direction of 
Dr. H. K. Hershiser in the summer of 1894. and during the two succeeding 
vacations he was a student in the office of Dr. H. B. Gibbon. He entered the 
Starling Medical College, at Columbus, in the fall of 1894. and in the autumn 
of 1895 matriculated in the Ohio Medical University, where he was gradu- 
ated on the 6th of April, 1897. Immediately afterward he took up the prac- 
tice of medicine, which he has since followed with good success. 

Soon after his graduation Dr. Miller was married, on the 21st of July, 
1897, near Lawton, Michigan, to Miss Myrtle M. Hooper, a daughter of 
George and Jennie E. (Laughlin) Hooper. Her father was born May 20, 
1842, in Brooklyn, New York, and was of English parentage, and on the 1st 
of November, 1865, he was united in marriage to Jennie E. Laughlin, whose 
birth occurred in Berlin township, Erie county, Ohio. She was a daughter 
•of Milton Laughlin, whose grandparents were natives of Ireland and came to 
America with their family of eleven sons, settling in Georgetown, Pennsyl- 
vania. The date of their emigration is unknown, but it must have been over 
a century ago. 

John Laughlin. one of the eldest children of this family, married Eliza- 
beth Hoak. and after a few- years joined the party of adventurers who left 
Walnut Creek, Pennsylvania, for the Huron river. Subsequently he re- 
moved from the bottom lands of the river to Milan, then an Indian village, 
where he resided for two years. He became greatly attached to the Indians 
and they to him. He was an excellent hunter and they admired his dexterity. 
His children played with the Indian children, and when his little son Benjamin 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 425 

was taken ill he was doctored by the Indian medicine man, and when he died 
was buried by the Indians after their custom. In 18 10 Air. Laughlin built a 
small log house on lot 8, which has since been known as the Laughlin place, 
and there he removed with his family. One of his six children, Henry, suc- 
sumbed to fever and was buried on the high bank of Huron river. The fam- 
ily had a desperate struggle to get along, owing to the unhealthful climate and 
pioneer conditions. While living there news of Hull's surrender was received, 
and the settlers, expecting the Indians to rush down upon them, fled for safety. 
Mr. Laughlin and his family started for the old home in Pennsylvania, and 
on horseback and on foot made their way through the almost interminable 
forests. Scon after reaching their destination Milton Laughlin was horn, 
the date of his birth being Christmas of 1813. After two years, however, the 
family returned to Ohio, and in 1814 a log cabin was erected, in which the 
grandfather resided until his death. The family experienced all the hard- 
ships and difficulties of pioneer life. Corn was pounded into meal in a mortar 
made in a stump hollowed out by fire. Milton Laughlin was reared amid such 
surroundings and became a hard-working, persevering and determined man, 
yet rather silent and of undemonstrative habits. The other members of the 
family were Katy, Henry, John, Nancy, Benjamin, Anna, Betsey and Belinda. 
On the 28th of November, 1837, Milton Laughlin married Mary B. Krom, 
of Wilkesbarre, Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, but formerly of Xew York 
city. He arranged with his father to pay some of the latter's debts, and in 
return he was to receive a part of the old homestead. He worked on his farm 
during the summer and in the winter season was employed in the ship-yard at 
Milan. He aided in sawing the timber for the docks on the canal and often 
made four dollars and forty cents per day, although the average wages paid 
were only one dollar and a half per day. His efforts were admirably seconded 
by his wife, and by perseverance, industry and attention to business he ac- 
cumulated a handsome competence and gained the title of West Berlin banker. 
The children born of his marriage are as follows: Ransom F., who was born 
June 9, 1839, married Sarah Springer on the 8th of August, i860, and now 
resides in Milan township; Nancy L., born June if), 1842, was married April 
14, 1868, to William Squire, of Milan, and died April 19, 1875; Jane E.. born 
January 23. 1843. married George Hooper on the 1 st of November, 1865, and 
resides in Ohio, near Tiffin; Frank AW, born February 5, 1849, enlisted in 
the Union army and died in the service in South Carolina, March 2, [865; 
Willis M., born June 29, 1859, was married August 8, 1880, and resides on 
the old homestead; Bertha E., born March 14, 1868, was married June 24, 



426 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

1890. In the spring of 1883 Mr. Laughlin removed with his family to Milan, 
where he resided until his death, which occurred October 16, 1884, when he 
was seventy-two years of age. In early life he united with the Methodist 
church and was ever a consistent Christian. 

After the marriage of George Hooper and Jennie E. Laughlin they re- 
moved to Milan, in 1866, and on the 19th of August, 1873, went to Van 
Buren county, Michigan. Subsequently they became residents of Allegan 
county, that state, and in the spring of 1875 returned to Ohio, locating in 
Berlin township, Erie county. In 1877, however, they again went to Michi- 
gan, spending the winter in Lawton, and in the spring took up their abode 
upon a farm in that state, where they continued until the fall of 1900, when 
they located in Seneca count}-, Ohio. Mr. Hooper was a member of the 
Thirteenth Michigan Infantry during the Civil war and served for three years 
and eight months. He was taken prisoner November 14, 1864, when on the 
march of Sherman to the sea, and was incarcerated in the prison at Florence, 
South Carolina, but after three months was paroled at Goldsboro>, North Caro- 
lina. On the 26th of February, 1865, he was sent to> Camp Chase and there 
discharged. He now owns and operates an eighty-acre- farm, which is highly 
improved. For five years he served as a justice of the peace and was also 
school director for several years. In politics he is a Republican. He belongs 
to the Methodist Protestant church, has served as class-leader and has been 
quite prominent in church work. 

Dr. Miller, whose name begins this review, is a stanch Democrat, and 
in the spring- of 1893 was elected treasurer of Clinton township, receiving the 
highest vote of any candidate on the ticket. In 1895 he was re-elected with 
an increased majority of over one hundred votes. He was vice-president of 
the Seneca County Teachers' Institute in the term of 1894, and was unani- 
mously chosen president in the terms of 1895-6. In 1896-7 he was city school 
examiner, but resigned in order to remove to. New Washington, and on the 
5th of August, 1897, he began practice in this place. In 1894, before bidding 
final adieu to the profession of teacher, Dr. Miller succeeded in bringing about 
the adoption of township supervision of the schools in Clinton, his native 
township, the first to adopt such in Seneca county, four other townships of 
the county having adopted the same plan of supervision. He is the present 
health officer for New Washington. He also' enjoys a large private practice, 
and his business is steadily increasing. He has been correspondent for the 
Tiffin Advertiser, the Tiffin News, the Tiffin Tribune, the Tiffin Times, the 
Bloomville Independent, the Crawford County News, the Crawford County 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. a°-7 

Forum, and at the present time sends his communications to the last named. 
In 1893 Dr. Miller visited the World's Fair in Chicago'. Socially he is con- 
nected with Pickwick Lodge, No. 175, K. P., of Tiffin; Cranberry Lodge, 
No. 441, I. O. O. F. ; and Rex Tent. No. 229, K. O. T. M., while he and his 
wife are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church and take a leading 
part in Sunday-school work. Both are members of Horace Mann Command- 
ery, No. 14, and the order of the Red Cross. The Doctor and his wife are 
ardent supporters of educational and other means of advancing intellectual 
and moral development. He is president of the New Washington Lecture 
Association. 

JACOB F. SCHAFER. 

Not many of the older citizens of Chatfield township, Crawford county, 
Ohio, were born at their present places of residence. Jacob Schafer has this 
distinction. He is a son of Jacob Schafer, Sr., and was born February 2\, 
1862, in his father's house on the farm on which he now lives. 

Jacob Schafer, Sr., the son of Adam Schafer, was born in Hoheinod, 
Germany, and was brought to America by his father. The elder Schafer set- 
tled in Bloom township, Seneca county, Ohio, and from there removed to 
Chatfield township, Crawford county, with his son, Jacob Schafer, the father 
of the subject of this sketch. About the time of their arrival they bought 
about forty acres of wild land, and later they bought forty acres more, on 
which stands the residence of the subject of this sketch. Adam Schafer died 
pn this property, at the age of seventy-nine years. His wife was Catharine 
Fox, also a native of German}-. 

Jacob F. Schafer, who is the immediate subject of this sketch, was the 
tenth in order of birth of a family of eleven children. Mary, the eldest, became 
the wife of Gottlieb Knecht. Valentine lives in Chatfield township, Crawford 
county, Ohio. Lucy married Philip Schemp and lives in Seneca comity. 
Catharine is the wife of Peter Regula, of Carothers, this state. Gertrand 
married Emanuel Lutz. Caroline is the wife of Peter Reidle. Adam lives 
at Chatfield, Crawford county, Ohio. Martha married William Lutz, of 
Chatfield, Crawford county, Ohio. Lizzie married Wiliam Seafort, of Cran- 
berry township. Sophia died in infancy. At one time the father of these chil- 
dren owned three hundred and forty-six acres of land. At his death, which 
occurred December 23, 1898, he owned one hundred and ninety-nine acres. He 
was a man of influence in his township and a member of the Lutheran church. 



428 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

The subject of this sketch was reared to the life of a farmer boy of all 
work, and received as good an education as the common schools afforded. 
He was married, in 1885, to Miss Caroline Lanehart, and they have seven 
children, named as follows: Erna, Albert, William, Loretta, Clara, Marie 
(who died October 2j, 1898) and Delverta. 

Air. Schafer owns seventy-nine acres of land in his home farm and another 
farm of forty acres, and is a successful general farmer. He and all the mem- 
bers of his family are identified with the Lutheran church. Politically he is 
a Democrat, and while he is influential in public affairs he has never been a 
seeker of public office. His public spirit has impelled him to ally himself with 
many movements which he has believed promised to improve the condition of 
his fellow citizens. 

MOSES PUGH. 

When the tocsin of war sounded and it was known that rebellion 
in the South had threatened the disruption of the Union men from all walks 
of life offered their service to the government. From the work shop, the fields, 
the school-room and the offices they flocked to the standard of the nation and 
followed the stars and stripes to the battle-fields of the South. Among the 
number was Moses Pugh, and well may he lie proud of the military record he 
gained when wearing the blue uniform; he fought for the principles of liberty, 
justice and an undivided country. 

Crawford county may well be proud to number him among her native 
sons, for he has ever been a man worthy of the respect and confidence of all. 
His birth occurred in Lykens township, April 6, 1843, and he represents 
one of the pioneer families of this portion of the state. His great-grand- 
father was one of the leading citizens of Mansfield, Ohio, and erected the 
first brick chimney built in that place. For several years he conducted a hotel 
there. His grandparents, Muses and Christina Pugh, were both natives of 
Virginia and the former was a farmer by occupation. When the country be- 
came involved in the second war with England he joined the service and 
loyally aided in its defense. His father, Aaron Pugh, was bora near Wheel- 
ing, in a little hamlet known as Pughtown, in Hancock count}-. West Vir- 
ginia, on the 13th of April, 1813. At that time, however, the district was a 
part of the Old Dominion, the division into two states having not yet been 
made. Upon the home farm the days of his boyhood and youth were spent 
and in 1837 he came to Ohio, entering from the government forty acres of 




C^UcAzlM) (Bjuj/hs 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 431 

wild land in Lykens township, Crawford county, and in the midst of the 
forest he built a log cabin. On his arrival here his personal property con- 
sisted of an ax and with this he cleared a small patch of ground. After some 
months he returned to Virginia and brought his parents, his brothers and sis- 
ters to the new Ohio home. On his second arrival he entered one hundred and 
sixty acres of land in Lykens township, upon which the grandfather settled 
and made his home until his death, while the father of our subject took up 
his abode upon his forty-acre farm, there residing until the spring of 1862,. 
when he sold that property and came to Cranberry township, purchasing three 
hundred and twenty acres of land, where his son Moses is now living. He 
also owns a hundred and twenty acres and a farm of fifty acres in Huron 
county, which he had purchased a year previous, and later he bought one hun- 
dred and sixty acres near Crestline. He died December 22, 1888, and then 
was ended a long and useful business career, wherein he won success as the 
result of his energy and enterprise. His grandfather was a Virginian slave- 
holder, but freed his slaves prior to the war. His father was a stalwart Dem- 
ocrat, but Aaron Pugh became an ardent Republican and gave to the party 
his earnest support. He held membership in the Christian church and while 
residing in Lykens township served as trustee. 

He married Miss Mary Jackson, who was born in Hancock county, Vir- 
ginia, January 13, 181 7, and was a daughter of William and Sarah Jackson, 
who took up their abode in Crawford count}- about the time the Pugh fam- 
ily was founded within its borders. Mrs. Pugh, the mother of our subject,, 
died January 7, 1885. She had been a member of the Presbyterian church 
in early life and afterward joined the Freewill Baptist church. By her mar- 
riage she became the mother of eight children, six of whom are yet living, 
namely: Elizabeth, the widow of J. W. King, of Chicago Junction, Huron 
county, Ohio; Moses, of this review: Alanson and Anson; twins, the former- 
living in Columbus Grove, Putnam county, Ohio, while the latter lives in 
Cranberry township, Crawford county: Albert B., of Xew Washington, Ohio;, 
and John C, who is living in Deshler. Ohio. 

The duties of the school-room, the pleasures of the playground and the 
work of the home farm occupied the attention and energies of Moses Pugh 
prior to his eighteenth year. But the war spirit of his grandfather asserted 
itself when the country called for troops and he responded to her need of loyal 
soldiers, enlisting on the 14th of September. 1861, as a member of Company 
H, Fifty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was in the Army of the Potomac 
until October 14, 1863, and at the time of Rosecrans' defeat was transferred 

23 



432 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

to the Army of the Cumberland and participated in the engagements of Cross 
Keys, Cedar Mountain, Burnt Hickory, second battle of Bull Run, Chancel- 
lorsville, Antietam, Gettysburg', Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Rocky Face 
Gap, Kenesaw Mountain, Resaca and the siege of Atlanta. He was also with 
Sherman on the march to the sea. aided in the capture of Bentonville, the siege 
of Savannah, and took part in the grand review in Washington, where the 
loyal troops who had accomplished their task of preserving the Union, 
marched in victorious battle array before the stand upon which stood the 
president of the nation. He was then mustered out July n, 1865, in Louis- 
ville, Kentucky. Air. Pugh had been three times wounded in the battle of 
Bull Run, and was wounded in the right leg at Stephenson, Alabama, after 
which he lay in the convalescent hospital for three weeks and four days. This 
injury caused the amputation of the limb in 1893. He entered the service as 
a private and was mustered out a second lieutenant, being commissioned by 
Governor Brough. He participated in every engagement of his command, and 
was never absent from his regiment, save the time he lay in the hospital. 

When the war was over and the country no longer needed his services 
Mr. Pugh returned to his home and resumed the duties of civil life. On the 
26th of July, 1866. he was united in marriage to Miss Martha Johnston, a 
native of Cranberry township, Crawford county, and a daughter of Jacob 
and Alary (Reed) Johnston, the former born in Lycoming county, Penn- 
sylvania, October 20, 1819, and the latter born in Stark county, Ohio, April 10, 
1 81 7. The Johnstons originally came from Albany, New York,. The Johns- 
ton and Reed families both came to Crawford county about 1836, and her fa- 
ther entered from the government one hundred and sixty acres of land. He 
died March 4, 1882, and his wife died May 8, 1853. 

Jacob Johnston was for years a prominent man in public affairs, ever 
supporting all measures for the general good. He was a strong Republican 
in politics, and an ardent and active member of the Protestant Methodist 
•church. , The marriage of Air. and Airs. Pugh was blessed with six children, 
as follows: Gertrude L., who is now the wife of H. H. Carpenter, of Rich- 
mond township, Huron county; Effie I., Alary Jane, Senate A., Logan H. and 
Burdett W., all at home. 

After his marriage Air. Pugh took his bride to a farm of eighty acres 
about one mile north of his present home, and which he had purchased of his 
father with money saved during his army service. There he erected a plank- 
house and began clearing and improving his land, but after seven years he 
sold that property and purchased eighty acres one mile west of his present 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 433 

residence. There he lived for two years, when he traded that property to his 
father for one hundred and sixty acres of the old homestead and took up his 
abode thereon, his father removing to the town. This he sold in 1899. Mr. 
Pugh now owns seventy-four acres in his home farm and is a well known and 
energetic agriculturist. He and his wife hold membership in the Freewill 
Baptist church, in which he has served as clerk and trustee and has also held 
other offices. In politics he is a stanch Republican and is a member of the 
New Washington Grange. Xo. 1485, Patrons of Husbandry, and of Creglow 
Post. No. 178, G. A. R., of Attica. In manner he is very genial and jovial 
and his many excellent qualities have gained him mam- friends among those 
with whom he is associated. 

P. F. LANTZ. 

P. F. Lantz is prominently connected with the journalistic interests of 
Crawford county, and though a young man. he has manifested a marked abil- 
ity m the business control as well as in connection with the literary work of 
the Herald, which he is now editing and publishing at New Washington 

He was born in this town February 9, 1878. and at the usual age entered 
the public schools, where he pursued his studies until graduation, in June 
1895. He then began earning his own living, spending the f. lowing year as 
a salesman in a grocery store. Not content, however, with the educational 
advantages which he had already enjoyed, he spent the spring of 1896 as a 
student of the Ohio Normal University, at Ada, Ohio. In 1897 and 1898 he 
was employed as a drug clerk in Dayton. Kentucky, and on the expiration of 
that period he returned to his home in the fall of 1898 and entered the office 
of the New Washington Herald as a typographer. In September of the fol- 
lowing year he purchased the paper, which he has since successfully conducted 
and under his management the circulation has increased and its influence has 
been extended. He is a wide-awake, progressive and enterprising young 
man, and his labors in behalf of the best interests of the city are effective 
and beneficial. 

JOHN KEIL. 

John Keil is now living a retired life in Bucyrus. A fact of which due 
recognition is not usually accorded in connection with the development of the 
west is that to no foreign element is progress due in so large a measure as to 



434 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

those who have had their nativity in and trace their lineage to the great empire 
of Germany. Among those who left the Fatherland and identified themselves 
with American life and institutions, who have pushed their way to the front 
and are a credit alike to the land of their birth and that of their adoption is 
John Keil. He came to Bucyrus in 1854 from the country of his birth. 

He -first opened his eyes to the light of day in Hesse Darmstadt, in 1836, 
a son of Henry and Margaret (Yakley) Keil. He was reared in the place of 
his nativity, pursued his education in the public schools and at the age of 
eighteen resolved to try his fortune in America, believing that he would have 
better opportunities for advancement in the new world. Accordingly, he 
crossed the briny deep to this country and made his way across the country 
to Bucyrus, where he established a blacksmith shop for himself in 1856. He 
continued business there for twelve years and then began dealing extensively 
in stock. He also purchased and operated a farm, and through the successful 
management of his business he acquired a handsome competence, the sales of 
his farm products and his stock annually augmenting his income. He also 
engaged in the purchase and shipment of hay on quite an extensive scale, and 
has owned much valuable real estate in the business portion of Bucyrus. Mr. 
Keil has lost much property through going security to oblige friends who have 
proved unworthy of the trust reposed in them, but is still in possession of a 
good capital, which enables him to live in practical retirement from business 
cares. 

In public affairs Mr. Keil has taken a very active and commendable in- 
terest, supporting all measures for the general good. In 1882 he was elected 
to the office of county sheriff and served for four years, retiring from the 
position as he had entered it, — with the confidence and good will of the people. 
That he was a capable officer is shown by the fact that in 1894 he was again 
chosen to the position and served until 1898. Prompt and fearless in the dis- 
charge of his duties, his course created confidence in the law-abiding citizens 
and dread in those who were law-breakers. He has long been known as a 
leading and influential member of the Democracy of Crawford county, and 
has several times served on the county central committee, doing all in his 
power to promote the political interests in which he firmly believes. 

Mr. Keil was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Hocker, who emigrated 
from Baden, Germany, to the United States. She was to him a faithful com- 
panion and helpmate on life's journey for a number of years, and her death 
occurred in 1809, at the age of sixty-two years. In their family were the 
following named: John C. married Miss Bella Mathews, and unto them were 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 435 

born two children, Edwin and Florence. He served as deputy sheriff under 
his father and died in 1897, at tne a 8" e °^ thirty-eight years, his loss being 
greatly deplored, for he was an extremely popular man, his pleasant manner, 
genial disposition and many sterling characteristics winning him the highest 
regard of all with whom he was associated. Harry is now engaged in the 
stock business in the Stock Yards of Chicago. Charles is married and is 
engaged in dealing in hay in Bucyrus. Kate is the wife of Calvin Holmes, a 
resident of Bucyrus. Mary is the wife of William Larkin, of Toledo, Ohio. 
Fanny is the wife of Clem Rozer, a well-known photographer of Bucyrus. 
Minnie. Mattie and Amelia are all under the paternal roof and are students in 
the public school. Mr. Keil and family attend the Mehtodist Episcopal church. 
The subject of this sketch has been the architect of his own fortune and 
has builded wisely and well. Coming to America without capital, he de- 
pended upon industry and energy to enable him to gain a start and upon per- 
sistent purpose and resolute will in order to maintain a creditable position in 
the business world. His labors brought to him a merited financial revard, 
and to-day he is numbered among the substantial and highly esteemed resi- 
dents of Bucyrus. 

ADAM J. LICHTY. 

Adam J. Lichty, who occupies the position of city marshal, was born 
in Cranberry township, Crawford county, upon his father's farm, November 
12, 1848. He is of French lineage, for his father, Peter Lichty, was born in 
Lorraine, France, April 15, 181 1, and in 1838 emigrated to America, accom- 
panied by his parents. He located in Delaware, Ohio, where he worked at 
his trade of wagon-making, which he had learned in his native country. Sub- 
sequently he removed to New Washington, Crawford county, where he fol- 
lowed wagon-making until he purchased a farm, about 1847. Taking up his 
abode upon his new property, he there carried on agricultural pursuits until 
1858, when he removed to Bucyrus, where he resided until 1879, in which year 
he became a resident of Sac county, Iowa. He lived with a son in that county 
until his death, which occurred March 3, 1884. His wife, who bore the 
maiden name of Barbara Beer, was born in Lorraine, France, September 23, 
1810, and died on the 12th of May, 1883, in Sac county. 

Adam J. Lichty, of this review, remained upon the home farm only until 
January, 1858, when he was taken to Bucyrus, and in the public schools of 
the city pursued his education. He was but a boy when he enlisted in his 



436 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

country's service, joining Company C of the One Hundred and Eighty-sixth 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Captain Brifogel and Colonel Wilds. 
The regiment was mustered in at Camp Chase, Columbus, on the 25th of Feb- 
ruary, 1865, and was sent to Nashville, Tennessee. From that place they 
marched to Murfreesboro' and thence proceeded by train to Cleveland, Ten- 
nessee, where they were placed in the rear of Fort Steadman. Later they 
were transferred to Dalton, Georgia, and Air. Lichty was detailed with 
twenty-five others from the regiment to' go to New Orleans on special duty. 
He afterward rejoined his command at Dalton, Georgia, and from there was 
sent to Chattanooga, Tennessee, but afterward returned to Nashville, where 
he was mustered out. He then proceeded to- Camp Chase, where, with his 
regiment, he was honorably discharged. During all the time which he spent 
in the south he was engaged in fighting guerrillas. 

After his military experience was ended Air. Lichty came again to 
Bucyrus and was employed with his father as a carriage wood-worker, which 
pursuit he followed until 1868, when he went to Toledo, Iowa, and there 
worked at his trade for about eighteen months. He then removed to Lima, 
Ohio, where he was employed in the railroad shops of the Dayton & Michigan 
Railroad, and then returned to Bucyrus. After visiting for a time in this 
city he went to Sandusky, Ohio, where he followed his trade until his removal 
to Yandalia, Illinois, where he was employed in a similaY capacity until he 
went to St. Louis, Missouri, hi that city he again found work at his trade, 
but the carriage factory in which he was employed was destroyed by fire and 
in the conflagration he lost his tools. Subsequently he entered the employ of 
a Chicago soap house as a local collector in St. Louis, and from there went 
to Chicago to act as city collector for the same firm. His next change in 
business life took him to a lumber camp at Big Rapids, Michigan, but after a 
short period he returned to Bucyrus and accepted a position as traveling sales- 
man for the Bucyrus Reaper and Mower Works, remaining upon the road for 
about two years. He then entered into partnership with his father, under the 
firm name of P. Lichty & Son, carriage manufacturers, a connection that was 
maintained for about three years, when they sold out, our subject opening an 
agricultural store, which he conducted successfully during the following dec- 
ade. He then disposed of that property, and in the year 1889 was appointed 
city marshal of Bucyrus, serving for two years, when he resigned. He after- 
ward worked in the line of his trade until 1898, when he was elected city 
marshal, and has since filled the office with credit to himself and satisfaction 
to his constituents. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 437 

On the 7th of December, 1876, Mr. Lichty was united in marriage with 
Miss Anna Streib, a daughter of Conrad Streib, who was born at Messinger, 
Wurtemberg, Germany, March 8, 182 1, and crossed the Atlantic to the new 
world in August, 1855. He became a resident of Bucyrus, and his death 
occurred in this city in January. 1880. His wile was born at Weisen stein, 
Wurtemberg, .May 19, 1823, and died December 2^, 1873. Unto Air. and 
Airs. Lichty have been born three children: George Raymond, whose birth 
occurred August 24. 1879: Marcus Henry, born July 7. 1883: and Robert 
Curtis, born November 12, 1885. 

THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OE BUCYRUS. 

This is one of the strong religious organizations of Crawford county. 
The Methodists were the first religious lx dy to enter this county, and have 
had a potent influence in Christian work here. Only two years after the first 
settlers came to what is now Bucyrus the Methodist ministers began their v 
The first sermon was preached in the city in 1821 by Jacob Hooper and he 
was soon afterward followed by the Rev. Bacon. In the fall of 1821 the Rev. 
Hooper was appointed pastor in charge, and as his circuit was seven hundred 
miles around, he preached in Bucyrus but once in eight weeks. In 1822 Rev. 
Thomas McCleary was the preacher in charge, and in 1823 the circuit was 
made smaller and James Row was appointed junior preacher, so the pv 
heard the gospel every two weeks. The same year John O. and William 
Blowers, brothers, began active work in the county. The Rev. Bacon, who 
was pastor, was a man full of tact and popular with the people. In 1824 
Jacob Dixson was in charge, and in 1825 James Gilruth was appointed pa- 
while James McMahan was presiding elder from 1825 until 1828. In 1826 
Abner Goff accepted the pastorate and. a new brick school-house having been 
erected in Bucyrus, the Methodist people worshiped therein until they built 
a church of their own in 1832. Previous to that time their services were held 
in groves, cabins and barns. In 1828 James Gilruth and William Runnels 
occupied the pulpit, and in 1829 David Lewis and Samuel Shaw. In 1830 a 
great revival was held and the membership of the church was largely in- 
creased. From 1829 until 183 1 Russell Biglow was presiding elder, and in 
1831 Alfred M. Lorain and David Cadwallader. Between 1832 and 1849, 
in the order mentioned, the following acted as pastors: Erastus Felton, Har- 
vey Camp, John Kinnear, James Wilson. Adam Poe, Thomas Thompson, 
George W. Breckenridge, Samuel B. Garberson, Liberty Prentiss, Samuel 



43« CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

P. Shaw, Peter Sharp, John Conway, Oren Mitchell, John Hazzard, Hibbard 
B. Ward, Henry Warner, Hubert Dubois and a few others whose names have 
not been secured. 

In 185P a two-story brick church was begun on the site of the old house 
of worship and was dedicated the following- year by Adam Poe. Few 
churches have had as many changes made in their district and conference re- 
lations as the Bucyrus church. In 1850 Bucyrus circuit was in Tiffin district 
of the North Ohio conference. Various earnest and energetic men acted 
as pastors of the church from time to time. The year 1877 was a memorable 
one in the history of the church. J. J. Henry was appointed pastor. Young, 
earnest, devout, zealous and winning all hearts, he labored for the salvation 
of souls and gave up his life as a sacrifice to his Master. Holding a great 
revival in the winter of 1877-78, with over two hundred conversions and one 
hundred and eighty accessions to the church, from overwork he took 
brain fever, and after three weeks of suffering passed to his rest on March 
if*. 1878. His death was mourned by thousands of people, and his name is 
held in precious memory. Rev. J. H. Barron came to fill the unexpired time 
of Brother Henry. In 1884 a large and commodious parsonage was built on 
the corner of East and Warren streets. The present pastor, M. J. Keys, has 
been in charge since 1896 and has been successful in lifting the heavy debt 
that was upon the church. 

The work is now thoroughly organized in its various departments and 
is having great influence in public affairs. In addition to the regular work of 
the church there is a growing Epworth League, a Sunday-school, a Ladies' 
Aid Society and Pastors' Pinion, together with the missionary societies. The 
Epworth League supports a school in India. The church has sent two of its 
young ladies into the mission held, while some of its young men have become 
ministers of the gospel. The people of Bucyrus are progressive and the 
church has in it many public-spirited men who bring into the church the same 
energy and resolution which characterizes their work in business life. As 
a result of this the membership has nearly doubled itself and the work is 
being carried on in a most commendable manner. 

JOHN H. TRAGO. 

A substantial and representative farmer of Crawford county, Ohio, is 
John H. Trago, of Auburn township, who was born here on May 31, 1840. 
He was a son of Daniel and Sarah (Waters) Trago, who reared a family of 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 439 

ten children, the two survivors being our subject and his sister, Mary, who is 
the wife of William N. Keller, a resident of Allen county, Indiana. 

Daniel Trago was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, on May S, 1796, 
of Quaker ancestry, and grew to manhood in his native state, where he learned 
the trade of millwright. This trade he followed for a number of years, but in 
1832 he decided to become a farmer, and with his family he emigrated to 
Columbiana county, Ohio. Five years later he came to Crawford county, 
then Richland county, and bought the farm of one hundred and sixty acres 
of land in Auburn township, which lies on the corner of our subject's present 
farm. At different times in later years he purchased other property and be- 
came the owner of three farms beside the one mentioned, one of which con- 
sisted of one hundred and twenty acres, another of eighty, and still another of 
eighty acres. 

The death of Mr. Trago occurred on January 3, 1876. He was formerly 
a Whig in his political faith, but later identified himself with the Republican 
party, which, in fact, has conserved Whig principles. He had been reared in 
the quiet and peaceful religious belief of the Quakers, and never departed 
from it. The mother of our subject was born in Lancaster county, Penn- 
sylvania, on January I, 1806, and died in May, 1871. She had been reared in 
the Episcopal church, but found no congregation of that kind in the neighbor- 
hood of her home, therefore she associated herself with the Baptist church 
and became a willing and consistent worker therein as long as she lived. 

Our subject grew up in a good home, under the training of a most es- 
timable father and mother. His education was acquired in the common 
schools, and his recollections are very vivid of the old pioneer log school 
house, with its slab benches, etc. He continued to work on the farm with his 
father until the date of his marriage, October 21. 1866, at which time he was 
married to Miss Nancy A. Mount. She was a native of Cass township, Rich- 
land county, and she was the daughter of James Mount, who was a native 
of Ireland. To this union four children were born, viz.: Fannie, who is a 
teacher in the New Washington schools, filling her sixth term in this school ; 
Justus J., who is a civil engineer, in the employ of the chief engineer's office of 
jthe Richland & Mahoning Railroad at Akron, Ohio; Andrew E., who has 
passed away ; and John Henry, who met his death in a sawmill by being thrown 
against the saw. 

Following his marriage Mr. Trago rented the farm which he occupies 
from his father, and at the latter' s death he purchased the property from the 
other heirs and since that time this has been the pleasant and comfortable 



44Q CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

family home. In politics Mr. Trago is a Republican, but he has never sought 
office. His mother brought him up in the Baptist church, but he has never 
become a member of any religious denomination, attending the Lutheran 
church with his wife, and teaching in their Sunday-school, exerting thus an 
influence in the direction of morality that but adds to the high esteem in which 
he is held in the community. On February 9, 1892, Mrs. Trago passed out 
of life and left behind a deeply bereaved family and a wide circle of sorrowing 
friends. 

JOSEPH GLEDHILL. 

Joseph Gledhill, of Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio, a plain, 
unassuming man and a wealthy and progressive farmer, whose neighbors say 
that his farm is in many respects the best in that township, was born near 
Little Beaver, Trumbull county, Ohio, a son of Joseph and Mary (Mitchell) 
Gledhill, April 2, 1832. His father was a native of the north of England, 
and his good wife bore him eleven children, eight of whom grew to man- 
hood and womanhood. Elizabeth, the first born, married David Snyder and 
she and her husband are both dead. Mary is the wife of Perry Russell, of 
Middletown, Ohio. Esther, who was the wife of John Shoemaker, is dead. 
Martha, who married Colonel Calvin Burwell, is dead. Sarah is the wife of 
Henry Castle, of Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio. Joseph, the 
subject of this sketch, was the fourth in order of birth. John is dead. Will- 
iam lives on his father's old homestead in Jefferson township. The father of 
these children came to America in 1826 and located in Trumbull county, Ohio, 
where he put a woolen mill in operation. He had brought quite a sum of 
money with him to America from England, but because of over-confidence in 
some people with whom he dealt he failed in business in Trumbull county, 
in 1832. By means of a one-horse wagon he removed to Crawford county, 
where he bought eighty acres of land, upon which some improvements had 
been made, for eighty dollars. Pie lived in a small house of round logs, 
which stood on the place, and not knowing anything about farming he busied 
himself at cutting down trees and chopping them up into cord wood, which 
he piled up on his land and sold, when occasion offered, to such advantage as 
was possible, and thus he was employed mostly for several years. He died 
there in 1868, at the age of sixty-eight years, and his wife lived on the home- 
stead farm until 1886, when she died, aged eighty-four years. 

When his parents removed to Jefferson township, Crawford county, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 441 

Ohio, the subject of this sketch was about six mouths old. He grew up amid 
the most primitive surroundings, helping to clear land and raise crops and 
availing himself of such scanty educational facilities as the locality afforded. 
In 1858, when he was twenty-six years old, he married Elizabeth Hershner. 
The following items of information concerning their children will add to the 
interest of this sketch : William and Edward are both dead. The eldest 
daughter, Delia, is the wife of J. Stough, of Gabon, Ohio. Minnie is the wife 
of J. G. Brown, of Covington, Kentucky. Myrtie married R. C. Tracht, a 
lawyer, and lives at Gabon, Ohio. Matie is the wife of James Morton, ticket 
agent for the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad Company, 
at Mt. Gilead, Ohio. Kittie is the wife of J. C. Schaber, of Henry county, 
Ohio. Arthur married Alma Farrell and lives in Jefferson township, Craw- 
ford count)', Ohio. Mack married Verna Beck and is a farmer in Jefferson 
township, Crawford county, Ohio. 

After his marriage Mr. Gledhill bought and moved upon the place in 
Jefferson township, Crawford county, which is now his home farm. He now 
owns four hundred acres of land, most of it well improved and very pro- 
ductive, well equipped with all necessary buildings, appliances and utensils, 
,-i farm which by common consent is conceded to be for all practical purposes 
the finest in the township. Mr. Gledhill is a Republican and has held the 
office of township trustee for seven years. 

DAVID M. PEPPARD. 

One of the prominent railroad engineers on the Pittsburg, Fort "Wayne 
& Chicago Railroad, now living in Crestline. Ohio, has been in the service of 
that company through a very long period and is one of its most faithful and 
trustworthy employes. He was born near Mansfield, Richland count}', Ohio, 
December 25, 1834. His father, Francis Peppard, was a native of Beaver 
county, Pennsylvania, and when about twelve years of age became a resident 
of Wayne county, Ohio, whither he went with his parents. There he was 
reared, and from an early age he followed the plasterer's trade. Removing 
to Mansfield, he carried on business along that line through a length v period. 
There he married Miss Alary Ann Morrison, a native of Crawford county, 
Pennsylvania. Her parents, however, were born in Ireland, and, crossing the 
Atlantic to the new world, settled on French creek, Crawford county, Penn- 
sylvania, whence they afterward removed to Richland county, Ohio, casting 
in their lot with the early settlers there. Mr. and Mrs. Peppard began their 



442 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

domestic life in Mansfield, Ohio, but after a short time the father purchased 
land where our subject now resides. The place was then a part of Richland 
county, but this portion of the state has since been placed in Crawford county. 
After carrying on agricultural pursuits for a number of years the father sold 
the farm and removed to Crestline, where he died when more than seventy- 
eight years of age. He was one of the pioneers of the county and cleared and 
improved ninety acres of land where the son now makes his home. In poli- 
tics he was first a Freesoiler, and when James G. Birney became a candidate 
of the Abolition party for the office of president he gave him his support. 
Later, when the Republican party was formed to prevent the further extension 
of slavery, he joined its ranks. He held membership in the Methodist Epis- 
copal church, although reared in the Presbyterian faith. His wife also, be- 
longed to the Methodist Episcopal church. She lived to be only thirty-six 
years of age. Their children, twoi sons and three daughters, all reached ma- 
ture years and all are yet living, David M., of this review, being the eldest. 
The others are Margaret Ann, wife of J. J. Talbott ; Eliza Jane, the wife of 
E. L. McLaughlin, engineer on the Great Northern railroad; William, who is 
engineer on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago road; and Lydia A., the 
wife of Jerome Brokar, a laundryman of Elyria, Ohio. 

David M. Peppard was only about a year old when his parents removed 
to Crawford county, where he pursued his education in the district schools. 
He worked on the home farm until seventeen years of age, and then took up 
railroad work, being first employed at shoveling dirt on the Sandusky, Mans- 
field £. Newark line. After thirteen and a half days spent in that way he was 
made brakeman on the same road. This was in the year 1852. He afterward 
became a fireman, and on the 15th of August, 1853, he entered the service of 
the Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad Company as car inspector, and in April, 
1854, was made brakeman on a passenger train running between Crestline and 
Pittsburg. The following year he was transferred to the position of fireman 
on the same road, and acted in that capacity until November, 1859, when he 
was promoted to engineer on a freight train running from Crestline to Alli- 
ance, Ohio. On the 15th of August, 1873, he took charge of a roundhouse 
as foreman, and was thus engaged until April 18, 1882, when he became 
master mechanic in the Crestline shops, thus serving - until February, 1890, 
when he again w r ent upon the road as engineer on a passenger train running 
between Crestline and Alliance. He worked in that way until November, 
1897. since which time he has run a shifting engine in the Crestline yard. 
He is one of the oldest employes of the Pennsylvania road, and his long con- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 443 

nection therewith indicates in an unmistakable manner the trust reposed in 
him as well as his fidelity and close application to duty. 

In February, 1856, Mr. Peppard was united in marriage to Miss Maria. 
A. Hoffman, a native of Richland county, Ohio, and a daughter of Nathan 
and Electa ( Parrott) Hoffman. They have become the parents of eight chil- 
dren: Mary, now the wife of G. P. Welshons, a farmer of Crawford county; 
Kate, who married J. P. Brown, formerly an engineer in Crestline; Frank, de- 
ceased ; William, who is married and lives in Crestline ; Grant, a machinist 
in the time works at Shelby, Ohio; Edwin, who follows the painter's trade in 
Crestline; and Harry and Samuel, at home. Mr. Peppard is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity, belonging to- lodge No. 2/2, of Crestline. He also holds 
membership relations with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and with 
the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has served as trustee for some 
time, filling the office in a commendable manner and doing everything in his 
power to promote the best interests of the church and the cause it represents. 
His father voted for William Henry Harrison in 1840 and Mr. Peppard has 
ever since been a stanch Republican. Pie began voting in Crestline when 
only fifty Republican votes were cast in the town. His first presidential bal- 
lot supported John C. Fremont ; twice he voted for Lincoln and twice for 
Grant, and never has he failed to indicate his political preferences at a presi- 
dential election by casting a ballot for the candidates of his choice. He owns 
and occupies a little farm of fourteen acres near Crestline, and it is cultivated 
under his supervision. He has long resided in the city and is well kno'vn as 
a capable and prominent representative of railway interests. 



CHARLES A. BROWN. 

One of the most substantial, intelligent and highly respected citizens of 
Crawford county, Ohio, who owns a large acreage of valuable land in San- 
dusky township, where he is also a leader in political and social circles, is 
Charles A. Brown, who was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, on November 
13, 1 83 1. He was a son of John and Rosanna ( Gruber) Brown, who be- 
came the parents of a family of seven children, of whom our subject is the 
only survivor. 

Both John and Rosanna Brown, the parents of our subject, were born in % 
Wurtemberg, the former in 1790 and the latter in 1795, and there they 
grew to maturity and were united in marriage. The father was a soldier 



444 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

in the Russian war, under King' Frederic, of Wittenberg, and was, in fact, 
one of his body-guard. In 1832 John Brown decided to emigrate to America, 
in the hope of being able to secure lands for his children, and preparations 
were made for the long journey, and landing was finally made in Xew York 
City, after a long and stormy voyage of sixty-two days. With his wife and 
six children, our subject then being a child of six months, Mr. Brown started 
westward, making the trip from New York to Albany by the river, thence 
by canal to Buffalo and thence to Cleveland via the lakes. Here they secured 
teams and proceeded to Columbiana county, where they passed their first 
winter. Determining to proceed farther west, the father bought three yoke of 
cattle and a wagon, and thus the family came, as did many another, into 
Crawford county. When the party reached the Wyandot Indian reservation 
it then turned back, locating in Sandusky township, where Mr. Brown pur- 
chased a farm of eighty acres, in section 13, that being the same farm now oc- 
cupied by the widow of Christian Brown. Upon this land Mr. Brown settled 
and made it his home until his death, in 1856. After locating on this land he 
entered three tracts of eight)' acres each, in Chatfield township, with the idea 
of thus providing for his children, but shortly afterward he sold those tracts 
and bought extensive lands in Mercer county, which in course of time he di- 
vided among his children, whose welfare he always had at heart. Mr. Brown 
was a most worthy and consistent member of the German Lutheran church 
and contributed largely to its spread and support. The mother of our sub- 
ject died in 1886, at the age of ninety-one years. 

Charles A. Brown, of this biography, was reared on the home farm and 
attended school in the little log school house of pioneer times. Although he 
was handicapped at first by his inability to either speak or understand any- 
thing' but the German tongue, he was very apt and soon improved and later 
became well educated, and is now one of the intelligent and leading men of 
the county. \\ hen he was about twenty years of age, by the marriage of his 
brother, Christian, the charge of the farm was given into his hands, and 
our subject began his own career outside the home limits. Farm work in the 
neighborhood was easy to find, and other occupations presented themselves, 
so that he was kept quite busy, until he was given his farm in Mercer county. 
This consisted of eighty acres of unimproved land and our subject decided 
to wait until a favorable oportunity came to make an exchange, and in 1856 
he was able to trade his Mercer county farm for eighty acres in Lykens town- 
ship. This land he retained until i860, and then sold it advantageously and 
bought the one hundred and twenty acres in Sandusky township where he now 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 445 

resides. Unil 1871 he rented his farm, since which time it has been the fam- 
ily heme. 

In 1871 Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Lovina Easterday, 
a native of Chatfield township and a daughter of Jacob Easterday, who was 
one of the early settlers of this county, coming here from Germany. After 
his marriage our subject and wife settled on his farm, to' which he has since 
made many additions, until now it comprises three hundred and ten acres and 
is finely improved. Mr. Brown has engaged extensively in the breeding of 
Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs, and is just making a trial of the 
new breed of cattle known as the Aberdeen, there being but few of these 
yet in the county. His operations both in cattle and stock-raising, as well as in 
farming, have proved very successful, and he is regarded as one of the most 
substantial citizens of Crawford county. 

A family of twelve children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brown. 
and nine of these still survive, several of them located in this or neighboring 
townships, while the others still remain under the home roof. Their names 
are as follows: Willis L., a farmer of this township; Charles Elburtis. of 
Broken Sword, in Holmes township; Milton F., at home; Waldo F., a teacher 
and pursuing a course in Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio; and Carl A., 
Floyd E., Dora G., Edson J. and Samuel E. are all at home. 

Mr. Brown is a stanch Republican at present, having become so within 
the past few years, and has efficiently served four years as township trustee. 
His fellow citizens desired to honor him with the offices of justice of the peace 
and assessor, but met with his refusal to fill these, the only other office that he 
accepted being that of treasurer. Fie is a consistent member of the Reformed 
church and is one of the most influential men in this part of Crawford count}', 
and well represents its best interests. 

FREDERICK LUST. 

Among the settlers who came to Crawford county in pioneer days and 
were long identified with the upbuilding and development of this portion of 
the state, and none have been more highly respected or more worthy of high 
regard than the Rev. Frederick Lust, who not only gave his attention to 
agricultural pursuits, but also devoted much of his time through forty years to 
the work of preaching the gospel as a minister of the Pietist church. He 
was born in Wurtemberg', Germany, in 181 5, and with his father, John David 
Lust, he came to America in 1820, crossing the ocean on one of the old-time 



446 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

sailing vessels, which required weeks to make the passage. On reaching the 
shores of the new world the father brought his family to Ohio, and first 
located in Marion county, and ten years later coming to Crawford county. 
From that time forward until his death Frederick Lust was a resident of this 
county. He lived in Lykens township and there he purchased a tract of wild 
land, which he transformed into a productive farm. 

As a companion and helpmate for the journey of life Mr. Lust chose 
Sophia Beak and unto them were born nine children : Samuel, now de- 
ceased; Lydia, the wife of Frederick Heiber, of Liberty township; Sophia, 
the wife of Martin Durr, by whom she had three children; Benjamin, de- 
ceased ; Louisa, who married Charles Lindner, of Valparaiso, Indiana ; Su- 
san, deceased; Emanuel, who is living in Holmes township; Isaac, who has 
passed away; and Nathaniel, who resides at Sulphur Springs, Ohio. For his 
second wife Rev. Mr. Lust chose Dorothy Gross. 

Throughout his active business career he carried on farming, and at the 
time of his death was the owner of two hundred and fifty acres of valuable 
land, for as time passed he made judicious investments of his earnings and 
thus gained a valuable property. He was also 1 the first minister of the Pietist 
church in this locality and for forty years gave much time, energy and con- 
secrated thought to the work of helping his fellow men to walk in the path 
pointed out by the Savior. In politics he was a Democrat, and served as 
school director and trustee of his township. He took an active interest in 
educational affairs and in all movements tending to benefit the community. 
By precept and example he labored for the cause of the church, and his in- 
fluence was very marked. His memory remains as a benediction to all who 
knew this worthy and upright pioneer. 



JOHN LEONHART. 

Enterprise and determination have formed the foundation upon which 
the success of Mr. Leonhart has been builded. He is to-day numbered 
among the leading agriculturists of the county, wide-awake, progressive and 
enterprising, and his farm of three hundred and twenty acres, with its many 
excellent improvements, is a monument to his labor and resolution. 

Mr. Leonhart is a native of Stark county, Ohio, his birth having occurred 
near Canton, on the 4th of October, 1834, his parents being George and Mar- 
garet (Capst) Leonhart. Both were natives of Alsace, Germany. They be- 



o 
o 

B g 

B Q 




CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 449 

came the parents of six children, the eldest being the subject of this review. 
The others are Catherine, the widow of Conrod Hammer; Elizabeth, the 
wife of Adam Reichard, of Chatfield township ; George, who is living in 
Kansas; Adam, also of Chatfield township; and Adolpb, who makes his 
home in Virginia. In the year 1832 George Leonhart, the father of this 
family, came to America, landing on the shores of the new world after a 
voyage of forty days. He settled in Stark count}', Ohio, where he pur- 
chased eighty acres of land, upon which he made his home until March, 
1837, when he came to Crawford count}-, taking up his abode in Chatfield 
township. Here he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, of which 
only five acres had been cleared, while a log cabin constituted the improve- 
ments that had been made in the shape of buildings. He cleared and im- 
proved that farm and as the years passed added to his property until at one 
time he owned seven hundred acres of valuable land. He died in 1886, in the 
seventy-seventh year of his age, respected by all who knew him. He was a 
member of the German Evangelical Lutheran church, served as one of its 
trustees and took an active interest in its work. His widow still survives 
him and is now eighty-seven years of age. 

John Leonhart was not quite four years of age when brought by his 
parents to Chatfield township and here he has since resided. His boyhood 
and youth were passed in the usual manner of farmer lads of the period. 
working in the fields through the summer months, while in the winter sea- 
son he pursued his education in the public schools. When twenty-four years 
of age he rented land from his father and continued its cultivation for ten 
years. He then purchased forty acres of his present farm, to which he has 
added from time to time until he is now the owner of three hundred and 
twenty acres. He has made many fine improvements upon the place, and all 
modern conveniences and accessories are there found, including the latest im- 
proved machinery, substantial buildings and high grades of stock, while his 
fields return to> him good crops. 

In October, 1857, Air. Leonhart was married to Miss Elizabeth Acker- 
man, and unto them have been born eight children : Catherine M., Jefferson, 
George W., William A., Matilda. Gustavus A., Caroline E., and Emma. 
Tillie is the wife of Charles Foster; Callie married George Marquart. and 
Emma is the wife of William Gangluff. The family is one widely and fa- 
vorably known in the community and the members of the household have a 
large circle of friends. In his political views Mr. Leonhart is a stalwart- 
Democrat and for ten years he has served as trustee of his township, dis- 

24 



45o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

charging his duties in a most prompt and efficient manner. He belongs to 
the German Evangelical Lutheran church and his straightforward life is in 
harmony with his professions. 

THEODORE F. POPE. 

The well-known farmer of Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, 
whose name is the title of this sketch, is a worthy example of that class so 
numerous in America, that of the self-made men, and it is the aim of the writer 
to include in this work a brief account of his career not alone because it is 
due to Mr. Pope that he should be properly represented in these pages but also 
in the hope that others, reading of his success, may be encouraged to surmount 
obstacles and press forward more bravely along the hard but promising path- 
way of life. 

Theodore F. Pope was born in Delaware, Ohio, March 30, 1845. At the 
age of five years he was taken to Williams county, Ohio, where he lived until 
he was fifteen years old, when his mother died. He then went to Mansfield, 
Ohio 1 , and found a home with his uncle, J. H. Barron, with whom he lived 
two years. Then, in 1862, at the age of seventeen years, he enlisted as a pri- 
vate in the Tenth Ohio Cavalry and entered upon a career as a soldier under 
the gallant General Kilpatrick. His first experience of battle was at Snow 
Hill. He afterward fought at Shelbyville, and under Sherman participated 
in that distinguished officer's celebrated march to the sea, enduring many 
hardships and taking part in many desperate sorties and hotly-contested en- 
gagements. He was honorably discharged from the service August 9, 1865. 

After the war Air. Pope went to Lykens, Crawford county, Ohio, where 
for three years he was a clerk in a store. He left that position to assume the 
management of a sawmill, which he retained for one year. He then engaged 
in farming, which he has continued successfully to the present time. In 1884 
he removed to his present farm, which he worked under lease owe year and 
-which he bought in 1S85. It contains one hundred and ten acres of well- 
improved and well-cultivated land and is provided with a good residence, 
ample barns and all necessary outbuildings. He gives his attention to general 
farming. 

Air. Pope was married April 23. 1868, to Miss Amy B. Yingling, who 
has borne him six children. Their daughter Esther is the wife of H. B. 
Tippin, of Lykens, Ohio. Their daughter Rena married Daniel Augenv, 
also of Lykens. Their daughter Ada is the wife of Michael Geiger, of Chat- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 451 

field. Their daughter Sanoma married H. E. Valentine, of Logan county, 
Ohio. Their son Clifford J. and their son Judson K. are members of their 
household. 

Mr. Pope is a Republican in political affiliation, and he is not without 
influence in the local councils of his party. He has never been an office- 
seeker, but has been prevailed upon to serve his fellow townsmen as assessor 
of Lykens township, to which office he has been twice elected. His interest 
in the welfare of his township and county has been manifested in many ways, 
and lie never withholds his support from any measure which he believes tends 
to the advancement of worthy local interests. He is a member of Lykens 
Lodge, No. 506, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 

MATTHIAS M. SPRINGER. 

Matthias M. Springer is an honored veteran of the Civil war who has 
made a great sacrifice for his country. He stands to-day among those to 
whom the nation owes a debt of gratitude which can never be repaid. His 
loyalty and valor was displayed on man}' southern battlefields and throughout 
his entire life he has been a supporter of every interest which he believed would 
prove of general good to his county, state and nation. No history of Craw- 
ford county would be complete without the record of his life, which we, 
therefore, gladly present to our readers, according to him the honor which is 
his just due. 

Mr. Springer was born in Weller township, Richland county, on the 15th 
of January, 1837, an d i § a son °f George W. and Elizabeth ( Marion ) Springer. 
The family is of Swedish origin and was founded in America by four brothers, 
Michael, Peter, William and Daniel, who crossed the Atlantic from Sweden 
in an early day and settled in New Jersey. The first named was the great- 
grandfather of our subject, and from New Jersey he removed to> Pennsylvania. 
His son, Matthias Springer, the grandfather of our subject, was born, accord- 
ing to tradition, in the red stone country of New Jersey, May 15, 1758, and 
died in June, 1822. He was a personal acquaintance of George Washington, 
but it is not known with certainty whether or not he served in the Revolu- 
tionary war. George W. Springer, the father of our subject, was born in 
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, October 22, 181 1, and in his parents' home 
spent the days of his childhood and youth. He acquired a good common- 
school education, and soon after attaining his majority emigrated to> Ohio, 
locating in Weller township, Richland county, becoming one of its pioneer 



452 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

settlers. The Indians were very numerous in that portion of the state but 
were always friendly. In Pennsylvania Mr. Springer had learned the trade 
of a tanner and shoemaker, and after coming to Ohio he purchased a tan-yard, 
which he conducted for a number of years. lie devoted some time to farming 
soon after his arrival in the Buckeye state, but rheumatism forced him to aban- 
don this and he then actively engaged in the tanning business, which he fol- 
lowed the greater part of his active life. About a year after taking up his 
abode in Richland county, he was married on the 19th of September, 1833, 
to Miss Elizabeth Mali on, who was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, October 
25, 1814, and was a daughter of James and Millie (Hitchcock) Mahon, both 
of whom were of Irish extraction. They emigrated to Richland county in 
1818. settling in Weller township, where their remaining days were spent in 
the midst of pioneer scenes, the red men being almost their only neighbors. 
At the time of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Springer his wife received as 
as her patrimony forty acres of forest land, which the father of our subject 
cleared and improved. Later, he purchased an adjoining tract of fort}' acres 
and the development of this largely devolved upon his sons, owing to the 
father's ill health. After selling his Richland county farm, George \Y. 
Springer removed to Crawford count}' on the 1st of April, 1865, and pur- 
chased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Cranberry township, one mile 
southeast of New Washington, and here he and his wife resided up to the 
time of her death. He passed away on the Jjd of November, 1889, and she 
was called to her final rest on the 5th of May, 1888. They were life-long 
members of the Methodist Episcopal church, earnest and consistent Christian 
people, who reared their children in that faith and taught them habits of in- 
dustry and integrity, thus well fitting them for the duties and obligations of 
life. They had ten children, seven of whom are yet living, namely: Matthias 
M. ; Elizabeth, the wife of John Tooker, of Michigan: Amelia, Athaliah and 
George W., triplets, the first named the wife of a Mr. Hilton, of Tiffin, Ohio, 
the second of the widow of Henry Bender, of Marion, Ohio, while George re- 
sides with his brother Matthias; Nancy M., who married William Corrathers, 
of Ohio City, Ohio; and Mary M., the wife of Sheridan Spencer, of Seneca 
count}', Ohio. 

Matthias M. Springer began his mastery of the branches of English learn- 
ing in the common schools near his home and during the period of his child- 
hood and youth remained with his parents, assisting in the farm work as he 
grew old and strong enough to manage the plow and the other agricultural 
implements. On attaining his majority he started out to fight the battle of 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 4 53 

life, and whatever success he has achieved since that time is due entirely to his 
own efforts. For two years he was employed in a stone quarry, and as op- 
portunity offered he secured work as a journeyman at the brick and stone 
mason's trade, his time being thus passed for a year. On the expiration of 
that period he began doing contract work in putting up post and rail fences 
and executing various jobs in carpentering, in which he was very successful, 
receiving good salaries. On the nth of August, 1861, however, he sacrificed 
all business opportunities in order to aid his country in her struggle to pre- 
serve the Union intact. He joined Company M, of the Second Ohio Cavalry, 
and after recruiting for five months at Cleveland the regiment was sent to 
Camp Dennison and soon afterward to Fort Leavenworth. After a short stay 
at that place the troops were sent to Kansas City, and in that vicinity had a 
sharp skirmish with Ouantrell, the guerrilla chief. Next the regiment was 
sent to Fort Scott, but Mr. Springer remained behind as an inmate of the gen- 
eral hospital with a severe case of inflamed eyes, caused by vaccination, which 
had been administered while he was at Camp Dennison. It was slow to take, 
however, and on encountering the severe winters of the western country he 
contracted a cold which inflamed his eyes. Through a scare at Fort Scott on 
the expected advance of the Confederate troops, he was taken to- that place 
with others ere he had fully recovered, being at the time under the medical su- 
pervision of the regimental surgeon. While at that place the regiment of 
twelve companies, finding it impossible to recruit, formed into a battalion of 
eight companies and Mr. Springer was transferred to Company G. The 
troops then returned to headquarters at Fort Scott for some time, and in the 
interval went on an Indian expedition to Fort Gibbs and Fort Smith for two 
months, during which time there occurred a two-days' fight at Cain Hill. Mr. 
Springer was also 1 one of a company of one hundred and fifty men chosen as 
a detachment to go* on an expedition to Humboldt to suppress the Indian in- 
surrections at that place. There they met in council with seventeen different 
tribes of Indians and matters were peaceably settled. 

In December, 1862, as the regiment were almost entirely dismounted, it 
was called back to Camp Chase to recruit and there was remounted. In the 
follow ing spring it was transferred to the Army of the Cumberland, and go- 
ing to Somerset, Kentucky, were encamped at that place for several weeks, 
during which time the Union men had several skirmishes with the troops of 
General Pegrim. After some weeks passed at Danville and at Camp Nelson, 
they moved to- Lexington, but there remained only a brief period, after which 
they spent a few weeks at Stanford and thence took up the line of march into 



454 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

eastern Tennessee, where they were constantly on the move, either advancing, 
driving the enemv before them, or retreating for some weeks up to the siege 
of Knoxville, in which Mr. Springer took part. Following this he went with 
his regiment to Strawberry Plains, where they went into winter quarters, and 
during the winter season the engineer corps repaired the bridge at that place. 
On the i st of January, 1864, while at Strawberry Plains, Mr. Springer en- 
listed as a veteran and shortly afterward began the journey home, arriving 
at Camp Chase, where the regiment was again mustered into the service and 
then granted a thirty-day furlough. On the expiration of his leave of absence 
he rejoined his regiment at Cleveland and was transferred with Burnside to 
the Ninth Corps of the Army of the Potomac. After rendezvousing for two 
weeks at Annapolis, they took part in the battle of the Wilderness, and sub- 
sequently the Second Ohio> Cavalry was transferred to Sheridan's Cavalry 
Corps and took part in Wilson's second raid, in which they tore up seventv- 
two miles of the Petersburg and Lynchburg Railroad. This movement was 
followed by the mine explosion at Petersburg. Soon afterward Mr. Springer 
was sent to the hospital at City Point, trouble with his eyes incapacitating him 
for service,. The same afternoon the regiment received orders to> move to 
s Washington city, and he was placed on a boat and sent through with his com- 
mand. Immediately on his arrival he was committed to Camp Stoneman hos- 
pital, and after two days was sent to the Emory general hospital, at Wash- 
ington, D. C, where he remained for over eleven months. After about six 
months there passed he was appointed general superintendent of the cooking 
department, and by the war department was made a member of the Veteran 
Reserve Corps so that he might be retained in this position. After the hos- 
pital was broken up he rejoined his regiment at Camp Cadwalader, in Phila- 
delphia, and was made superintendent of the cooking department there, act- 
ing in that capacity until September 18, 1865, when he was honorably dis- 
charged from the service. 

At the close of four long years spent at the front Mr. Springer gladly 
returned to his home and on the 1st of March, 1866, he was united in marriage 
to Miss Ferena Easly, a native of Cranberry township, and a daughter of 
Jacob Easly. Her father was a native of Switzerland and originally spelled 
the name Iseli. In 1834 he came to America, accompanied by his second wife, 
mother of Mrs. Springer, who bore the maiden name of Barbara Strauchen. 
They were also accompanied by his rive children, born of his first marriage. 

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Springer has been blessed with fourteen 
children, of whom twelve are vet living, namelv : George W '., who follows 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 455 

.carpentering in Cleveland; Elizabeth, the wife of W. H. Smith, of Fostoria, 
(Ohio; Samuel M., a painter and plasterer in Cranberry township; Charles A., 
a carpenter in Cleveland, Ohio; Anna A., wife of A. S. Nye, of Cranberry 
township; Lela F., wife of Joseph Wolfert, of Cleveland; Arthur J., and El- 
mira M., at home; Walter R., who follows carpentering- in Cleveland; Martha 
L, Lucy V. and Effie L., all of whom are still with their parents. 

After his marriage Mr. Springer took up his abode in a log cabin, about 
one and a half miles west of the present home, where he resided for eighteen 
months, during which period he followed any respectable employment that he 
could secure. He then went to Ottawa county , Ohio, where he purchased 
eighty acres of timber land and erected a log house and a log barn, making 
his home upon that place for six years. Again he had trouble with his eyes, 
which prevented him from working, and in consequence he sold his farm and 
returned to Crawford county. Here he purchased the south half of the old 
homestead and lived there for six years. In 1881, however, he sold that prop- 
erty and purchased his present home farm of eight}- acres, upon which he has 
resided through two decades. About t88o his eyesight began failing so that 
at times of a period of several weeks he would be totally blind, and soon after 
his removal to his present home he lost the entire use of his eyes. It was cer- 
tainly a great sacrifice he made to his country, for it was during his service 
as a defender of the Union that the trouble was incurred which ultimately re- 
sulted in blindness. 

In his political views Mr. Springer is a stanch Republican and for some 
years after his return from the war he served as supervisor and as school di- 
rector, but his blindness compelled him to give up active participation in such 
work. He and his wife were consistent and prominent members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church, and the family is one of prominence in the community. 
Mr. Springer is one of the most highly esteemed citizens of this part of the 
state. 

JACOB C. MIELIMITER. 

Although Switzerland is one of the smallest of the countries of Europe, 
it has furnished some valuable citizens to the new world. Of that country 
Mr. Millimiter is a native, his birth having there occurred on the 7th of May, 
1849., His education was obtained in its public schools, and the first nineteen 
years of his life were passed in his native land, after which he bade adieu 
to friends and home and sailed for the United States. Having arrived on the 
Atlantic seaboard he started westward and first took up his abode in Van Wert 



456 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

county, Ohio, where he began working with his father, with whom he re- 
mained until he had attained his majority, when he started out in life for 
himself-. He was employed as a farm hand by the month and thus obtained a 
start in the business world. The year 1876 witnessed his arrival in Craw- 
ford count)', and for three years thereafter he worked on a farm. 

Mr. Millimiter was then married, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary 
Smith, by whom he has one child, William, who is yet at home with his par- 
ents. At the time of their marriage Mr. Millimiter began operating land on 
the shares. He went to Cranberry township, where he remained for eight 
years, and then came to the farm upon which he now resides and which has 
been his home continuously since 1896. He now owns one hundred and six 
acres of land. This is an arable tract and the well tilled fields bring forth 
good harvests, for he raises the grains best adapted to this climate and care- 
fully cultivates his land. He is a member of the German Reformed church, 
and his life is consistent with his religious faith. Whatever success he has 
achieved is due entirely to his own efforts and his enterprise and energy will 
enable him to gain still greater prosperity in the future. 

FREDERICK W. MAY. 

One of the leading and representative citizens of Tiro, Ohio, is Frederick 
W. May, who is the subject of this biography. He was born in Liberty 
township, Crawford county, on June 1 I, 1862, and is one of a family of seven 
children born to Louis and Sophia (Krebs) May. 

Louis May, the father of our subject, was born in Bavaria, Germany, on 
May 8, 1828, a son of Louis and Fredericka (Schaeffer) May, and was one 
of a family of ten children, four of whom still survive, these being: Louis, the 
father of our subject; William, who operates the home farm in Bavaria; 
George and Rinehart. both of whom are residents of Boston, Massachusetts. 
The grandparents of our subject were born and spent their whole lives in Ba- 
varia, where the grandfather died at the age of sixty-four and the grand- 
mother at the age of seventy-seven years. Louis May grew to manhood on 
his father's farm and obtained an excellent education in the German schools, 
and still retains the language of the Fatherland. 

In 1853 Mr. Louis May started for America, in company with many oth- 
ers from his own land, among these being the lady who later became his wife. 
After a voyage of thirty-five days the party landed in New York, about the 
middle of October. Mr. May went immediately to Boston, Massachusetts, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 457 

where his brother-in-law resided. He was the well-known Daniel Shales, who 
carried on a large cabinet-making business, employing seventy-five men, and 
under his instruction Mr. May in time became a finished workman in that 
trade, serving a full apprenticeship and later working with him as a journev- 

^In i8 S o Mr. May married Miss Sophia Krebs, who was born in Bavaria 
also and who was a daughter of Frederick and Christiana (Weibel Krebs, 
who followed her to America in the following year, locating with their son 
in Osceola, in Crawford county, where their last years were spent. A family 
of seven children was born to Louis May and wife, the six survivors being: 
Anna who is the wife of Henry Ulmer. of Sandusky township, in this county ; 
Louis, who conducts the home farm; George, who is also at home; Frederick 
W., who resides in Tiro; Elizabeth, who is the wife of Philip Bender, of San- 
dnskv township ; and Emma, who is at home. 

In the spring of 1861 Mr. May, with his wife and thre children, came to 
Crawford county and settled on a farm of forty acres which he had purchased 
in Liberty township, near Sulphur Springs, prior to his removal to the county. 
More land was added to the farm, making it contain fifty-five acres, and here 
Mr May and his family resided until 1877, when he sold that place and bought 
his present fine farm of one hundred and six acres in Vernon township, which 
has been his home ever since. 

In political matters Air. May has always been a Democrat, and both he 
and his wife have been active members of the Lutheran church, and are among 
the most highly esteemed citizens of the county. 

Frederick W. May was sent to school and grew up on the farm, acquiring 
an education both mentally and physically, and remained under the parental 
roof until his marriage, on December 2 S , 1894. to Miss Sidney Carmichael. 
She was a native of Richland county, Ohio, and was a daughter of Franklin 
Carmichael. one of the early settlers of Richland county. 

\fter marriage our subject located in Tiro, where for many years his 
capable wife had conducted a successful millinery business, and in the following 
year he engaged in the grocery line. On account of his business qualifications 
as well as his pleasant and courteous manner, Mr. May soon built up a large 
trade and is now one of the leading men in his line in the city. In politics he has 
alwavs been a Democrat and at present is faithfully filling the office of town 
treasurer Socially he is connected with the order K. of P., Lodge No, 592. 
of Tiro, m which he takes an active interest. Mrs. May has long been one of 
the consistent members of the Lutheran church, which he also attends and 



458 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

most cheerfully assists in supporting. They occupy one of the most comfortable 
and attractive residences of the place and there dispense a liberal hospitality to 
their many friends. Mr. May is known as one of the broad-minded, progres- 
sive men of the community and as one ever ready to do his part in advancing, 
the interests of the town. 

FRANK WECHTER. 

Men of strong purpose, marked individuality, enterprise and diligence 
have no need to complain of life, for to such success always vouchsafes a re- 
ward, and from humble position to a place of affluence they rise through their 
own efforts. Of this class is Frank Wechter a representative, and among the 
more prominent citizens of Crawford county he well deserves mention. 

A native of Rochester, New York, he was born May 17, 1838. His father 
George Wechter, was born in France in 1806. and there learned the black- 
smith's trade. Ere leaving his native country he wedded Frances Heartrick, 
and after the birth of their eldest child they came to the United States, locat- 
ing in Rochester, where the father worked at various occupations until he had 
accumulated a few hundred dollars, when he purchased a small place near 
Rochester — a tract of seven acres, upon which he made his home until 1853,. 
when he came to Ohio and bought eight}' acres of land in Chatfield township. 
Here he lived for some years, when he sold that property and became the 
owner of a quarter section of land in Cranberry township, that is now occu- 
pied by his son Frank. He was a member of the Catholic church, a Demo- 
crat in political faith., and died in 1884, respected by all who knew him. Unto 
him and his wife were born seven children, the surviving members of the fam- 
ily being: George; Alary A., the wife of Peter Miller, of Grand Rapids, 
Michigan; Jacob, of Allen county, Indiana; Joseph, a florist o<f Rochester, 
Xew York; and Frank, of this review. Frances and Henry are now deceased. 

When fifteen years of age Frank Wechter accompanied his parents on 
their removal to Crawford county. Prior to this time he had attended the 
German school o<f Rochester, with the exception of one winter, and after com- 
ing to this locality he resumed his studies in the English schools. When he 
had arrived at man's estate he began cultivating the home farm on the shares 
and throughout the period of his active business career has carried on agricul- 
tural pursuits. 

On the 7th of May, 1862, Mr. Wechter led to the marriage altar Miss 
Mary Heydinger, a native of Loraine, France, and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 459 

John Adam Heydinger, who came to Crawford county in 1850, settling in 
Cranberry township, where he remained until his death. In 1867, with his 
family and parents, Mr. Wechter came to Cranberry township, buying in part- 
nership one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he managed and conducted 
until 1875, when he purchased his father's interest in the farm, his parents, 
however, continuing to> reside with him until they departed this life. 

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Wechter was blessed with nine children: Au- 
gust and John, who are living in Cranberry township; Mary, Barnett and Ju- 
lia, at home; Francis, deceased; Joseph, who is attending St. Mary's Semi- 
nary, in Cleveland, Ohio, preparing for the priesthood; Marcus, who has also 
passed away : and Henry, who is a student in St. Francis College, at Milwau- 
kee, Wisconsin. Mrs. Wechter, the mother of these children, passed to the 
other world March 9, 1883, since which time Mr. Wechter has remained a 
widower. At the time of her death their youngest son, Henry, was but two 
and a half years old. 

About ten years ago Mr. Wechter sold one hundred and sixty acres of 
valuable land at Big Rapids, Michigan, and divided the money among his two 
oldest sons, thus giving them a start in life. He became the sole owner of 
his present property in 1875, and the place is now being cultivated by his son 
Barney. Mr. Wechter manifests his political views by the unfaltering sup- 
port he gives the Democracy, but has never sought office, his attention being 
occupied with his business affairs, which in the course of years have brought 
to> him a good financial return, so that he is now numbered among the sub- 
stantial and well-to-do agriculturists of his adopted county. 

NELSON CLOSE. 

Nelson Close, who in his time was one of the prominent citizens of Texas 
township, Crawford county, Ohio, was born in the state of New York in 
1818, and died at his home in Texas township April 25, 1874. He emigrated- 
to Ohio in 1844 and located on the farm on which he passed the remainder of 
his life. He was married in 1845 to Elizabeth Bender, who was born in Cum- 
berland county, Pennsylvania, February 15, 1820, a daughter of George and 
Mary ( Fohler) Bender. Mrs. Close came with her father and other mem- 
bers of his family to Ohio in 1824. They made the journey from Pennsyl- 
vania by horse team and stopped for about a year at Bucyrus, the site of which 
was at that time marked by only a few primitive log cabins. In 1825 they 
went on to Benton, in Crawford county, where Mr. Bender entered a claim 



460 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

to government land, on which he erected a small log house. The forests round 
about abounded with wild game and Indians often came to his cabin, but 
never showed aught but a friendly disposition. He hunted some and burned 
a good deal of lime, which he hauled to Bucyrus. He was a very progressive 
and enterprising man, who was a member of the Lutheran church and took 
an active interest in evangelical and Sunday-school work. He was the first 
incumbent of the office of trustee of Texas township and platted the village 
of Benton, and was the first postmaster at that point. He died February 10, 
185 1, aged fifty- four years. His daughter, Mrs. Close, taught a subscription 
school in a log building at Benton when she was about twenty years old. She 
was the oldest of eight children of her parents and she was early orphaned 
by the death of her mother at the early age of thirty-two years. 

Mr. Bender's house was noted for its hospitality, and its roof 
sheltered not only white men, but from time to time Indians remained there 
over night. The Indians trusted him and he wielded considerable influence 
over them, and it was their custom to come to him for advice concerning their 
troubles with each other and with whites. Mr. Bender's advent in Texas 
township was followed by some discouraging incidents. Nearly all of his 
money was stolen and one of his horses died, but he did not permit these 
troubles to> daunt his courage, though he and his family endured many hard- 
ships and often were put to great inconvenience to secure the necessaries of 
life. He was obliged to carry his wheat on horseback to Upper Sandusky to 
mill, and after waiting for it to lie ground brought his share of the flour 
home, the miller retaining the customarv toll for grinding it. The only win- 
dows in their first house were holes in the wall covered with greased paper, 
and while they admitted a certain amount of light nothing was visible through 
them. They had no stove in their cabin, and they ate from old-fashioned 
pewter dishes which they had brought with them from the east. Mr. Bender 
was an industrious man, the sounds of whose ax strokes could be heard early 
and late, and he cleared most of his land of the dense forest, and eventually 
even of the stumps, fenced it and put it under a good state of cultivation. 

Nelson and Elizabeth (Bender) Close had children as follows: Then- 
daughter Mary is the wife of Michael Davis, of Nebraska. Their son George 
owns a part of his father's homestead on which his father made his original 
settlement, which consisted of one hundred and twenty acres. Their daugh- 
ter Hannah is dead. Their daughter Ella lives at the homestead in Texas 
township. A biographical sketch of their son Harvey appears elsewhere in 
this work. Their son Adelbert is dead. Their daughter Alta lives in Holmes 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 461 

county, Ohio. Mr. Close was a member of the Lutheran church, and his 
widow, who since his death has lived on the farm home, is also devotedly at- 
tached to the belief of that religious organization 

George Close, son of Nelson and Elizabeth ( Bender) Close, who since 
his father's death has farmed the old homestead, has won a good business suc- 
cess and is regarded as an enterprising, progressive citizen of much public 
spirit. 

S. WILLIAM GEISSMAXX. 

S. William Geissmann, who is successfully engaged in farming in Chat- 
field township, where he has resided for almost half a century, was born in 
Saxony, Germany, March 8, 1835, his parents being Christian and Dorothy 
(Hetzer) Geissmann, in whose family were three children: Charley, a resi- 
dent of Iowa county, Iowa; S. William, of this review; and Mary, who died 
in infancy. The father was a nailmaker by trade and followed that pursuit in 
Germany until 1872, when he came with his family to the new world, making 
the voyage across the Atlantic in a sailing vessel, which was seventy-seven days 
in reaching the American port. There were three hundred emigrants on 
board, the food supply ran short and the passengers experienced considerable 
discomfort. At length they reached the harbor of Quebec, and from that 
point Mr. Geissmann and his family proceeded to Chatheld township, Craw- 
ford county, Ohio, where the parents spent their remaining days, the father 
passing away at the age of seventy-seven, the mother when seventy-five years 
of age 

In his native land S. Wiliam Geissmann acquired a good German educa- 
tion and at the age of twelve years began working at the nailmaker' s trade 
under the direction of his father. He was seventeen years of age when he ar- 
rived in this country, and soon afterward he secured employment in a foundry 
in Bucyrus, receiving ten dollars per month for his services and paying a dol- 
lar per week for his board, which left him a surplus of six dollars per month. 
He was there employed for three months, after which he learned the cooper's 
trade, receiving seventy-five dollars and his board for his services during the 
two years of his apprenticeship. After completing the term he worked on the 
section for two months and then began coopering in Bucyrus, where he re- 
mained for two years. On the expiration of that period, in connection with 
his brother, he purchased sixty acres of land in Chatfield township, of which 
twenty-five acres had been cleared, and on this built a cooper shop, our subject 



462 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

working at his trade during the day, while at night he continued the task of 
clearing the land. He followed the dual occupation of farming and coopering 
until 1896, when he removed to the farm upon which he now resides. He had 
previously rented the place, beginning in i860, and for eleven years thereafter 
he had been the occupant. He now owns one hundred and sixty-four acres 
of valuable land, of which one hundred and thirty acres have been cleared, and 
of this he cleared sixty-five acres. He has brought his farm under a high state 
of cultivation and has made valuable improvements on the place, transforming 
,it into a very desirable property. The fields return to him good harvests, and 
everything is neat and thrifty in appearance, showing the owner to be a pro- 
gressive agriculturist. 

In i860 Air. Geissmann was married to Miss Caroline Balthaser, and 
unto them have been born thirteen children, of whom ten are living: Henry, 
Charley, Augustus, Edward, Albert, Emma, Anna, Clara, Minnie and Callie. 
Three of the children died in infancy. The family is well known in Chatfield 
township and Crawford county, and the sterling qualities of its members have 
gained them uniform respect. Mr. Geissmann exercises his right of franchise in 
support of the men and measures of the Democracy, and his fellow townsmen, 
recognizing his worth and ability, have called him to office. He served for six 
years as trustee of Chatfield township, and for twelve years was school director, 
laboring earnestly for the benefit of the school system in his neighborhood. 
His life has been one of honest toil, and his enterprise and indefatigable labor 
have enabled him to win a desirable prosperity. 

JOHN MORROW. 

From his boyhood until the present time the subject of this review has 
been connected with agricultural interests, and is thoroughly acquainted with 
that line of work in every detail. Since his birth he has been a resident of 
Crawford county, and during the intervening years he has become known as 
one of the enterprising business men of the locality, devoting his time and 
energies to the conduct of his farm. So ably has he managed his interests 
that he has met with most gratifying success, and at the same time has gained 
the public confidence and good will by his honorable business methods. 

The Morrow family is an old and honored one in the history of Crawford 
county. A native of Auburn township, this county, our subject first opened his 
eyes to the light or day on the 13th of July, 1851, and is a son of James and 
Margaret (Ake) Morrow, a sketch of whom will be found in this volume. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 463 

He remained under the parental roof until after his marriage. In the spring 
following that event his father died, and after the estate was divided our sub- 
ject received as his share the original homestead entered by his grandfather 
Morrow, and there he located with his bride and began his career as a farmer. 
In the spring of 1891 he purchased eighty-five acres of land adjoining the 
homestead, and in the fall of that year took up his abode thereon, but he still 
continues the cultivation of both farms. 

The marriage of Mr. Morrow was celebrated on the 10th of December, 
1874, when Miss Susan N. Cory became his wife. She is a native of Craw- 
ford county, Ohio. Two children have blessed the union of Mr. and Airs. 
Morrow, namely: Harry Burton, who is at home with his parents; and 
Charlie James, who holds the responsible position under the government as 
meat inspector in St. Joe, Missouri. Mr. Morrow is liberal in his political 
views, but his preference is given to the Democracy. He has always taken a 
deep interest in the development and growth of his locality, and has been fore- 
most in all local improvements and enterprises calculated to permanently benefit 
his county. 

REV. JOHN BEAL. 

The Rev. John Beal, whose life has been devoted to agricultural pursuits 
and to spiritual work among his fellow men, is a gentleman of wide influence, 
teaching by example as well as precept of the development of one's higher 
nature through the influences of Christianity. He was born in Holmes town- 
ship, this county, on the 9th of June, 1857, and is a son of Conrad Beal, a native 
of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, who, after arriving at years of maturity, 
married Elizabeth Wagner, and unto them were born the following children . 
Daniel, of Bucyrus township; Magdeline, wife of J. D. Durr; Solomon, of 
Chatfield township ; Lydia, wife of Samuel Shawl, of Liberty township ; Sophia, 
who married Jacob Berger, of Holmes township ; and John, of this review. It 
was in the year 1848 that Conrad Beal left his home in the Keystone state and 
came to Crawford county, taking up his abode upon a farm in Whetstone 
township, where he remained until 1854, when he settled in Holmes township 
upon a farm of eighty acres now owned by Jacob Meek. There he lived until 
1869, when he went to Chatfield township, purchasing two hundred and forty 
acres of land, constituting the farm which is now owned by Emanuel Kalb. 
There Mr. Beal continued to carry on agricultural pursuits until his life's 
labors were ended in death and he was called to the home beyond. He passed 
away in October, 1895, at the age of seventy-one years, his birth having oc- 



464 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

curred in 1824, and his wife died in 1900, at the age of seventy-four. They 
were consistent Christian people, holding membership with the Pietist church. 

Rev. Beal, of this review, was a lad of twelve summers when the family 
removed to Chatfield township. At the age of eleven years he began working 
as a farm hand, and was thus employed for two years, while throughout the 
remainder of his minority he assisted his father in the work of the home farm. 
His educational privileges were those afforded by the common schools, but sub- 
sequent reading, study, experience and investigation have broadened his mind, 
added to his store of knowledge and made him a well-informed man. 

On the 8th of August, 1880, Mr. Beal was united in the holy bonds of 
matrimony to Miss Elizabeth Lust, a daughter of Conrad Lust, and their mar- 
riage has been blessed with the following children: Mattie, Laura E., John 
\Y., Frederick N., Reuben E., Jessie D. and Edna N. 

Soon after their marriage Mr. and Airs. Beal began their domestic life 
upon her father's farm, where they remained for five years, and in 1885 they 
came to their present home in Chatfield township, where Mr. Beal has made 
splendid improvements. He is carrying on general farming and stock-raising 
with good success, his labors bringing to him a desired financial reward. His 
progressive methods are indicated in the attractive appearance of the place. 
During the past eleven years he has also served as the minister of the Pietist 
church, and his labors have been productive of great good, as he has put forth 
strong efforts for the spiritual advancement of the neighborhood. He votes 
with the Democracy, and is known as a public-spirited citizen, deeply inter- 
ested in everything pertaining to the welfare of his native county and contrib- 
uting to its advancement along material, social, intellectual or moral lines. 



MICHAEL LUTZ. 

The German element in our national commonwealth is one of much im- 
portance. No country has furnished so many valuable citizens to the United 
States as the fatherland. They are men of diligence, determined and self-re- 
liant, and of this class Mr, Lutz is a representative. He was born in Wurt- 
emberg, Germany, February 7, 1821, and spent his early youth upon a farm. 
In 1833 he came with his stepfather, George Schemly, and the family to 
.America, the voyag"e being made in a sailing vessel which reached the Amer- 
ican harbor in ninety-five days after leaving the German port. 

In the spring of 1834 Mr. Lutz came to Crawford county, taking up his- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 467 

abode in Chatfield township. The next year he went to Pennsylvania and be- 
gan carrying water for the men working on the canal. In the fall he returned 
to this county and the next summer worked on the Miami canal. Subse- 
quently he began working by the day, and when nineteen years of age he 
learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed until 1 861, being actively iden- 
tified with the building interests of the count}' throughout that period. He 
was a skillful mechanic and was thus enabled to secure employment easily. 
In the meantime, however, in 1849, * ie nac ^ invested his earnings in one hun- 
dred and forty acres of land, which he cleared and improved, transforming 
the wild tract which came into his possession into a valuable farm. As the 
years have passed he extended the boundaries of his property and now has 
two hundred and ninety-two acres of valuable land, constituting a very fine 
and attractive farm, supplied with all modern accessories and improvements. 

In 1848 Mr. Lutz was united in marriage to Miss Sabina Kalb, and 
unto them have been born eleven children, all of whom are yet living. Mr. 
Lutz is a member of the German Evangelical Lutheran church, in which he 
has held the offices of trustee and deacon, having been identified with the 
society of that denomination in Chatfield since its organization. He has ever 
taken a deep interest in the growth and progress of the society and the ex- 
tension of its influence. In his political affiliations he is a Democrat and 
has filled the position of trustee and school director, discharging his duties 
with promptness and fidelity. Llis life has been crowned with success, and 
though he started out for himself empty-handed, he is now the owner of a 
valuable farm. For two-thirds of a century he has resided in the county 
and has therefore winessed the greater part of its development and Upbuild- 
ing and has borne his part in its progress. His life, honorable and upright,. 
has commended him to the respect of his fellow men and no one is more: 
worthy of representation in this volume than Michael Lutz. 



DAVID E. LUTZ. 

Among the successful business men of Chatfield is the subject of 
this review, a well-known representative of the industrial interests of his 
community. He is a man of keen discrimination and sound judgment, and 
his excellent management and executive ability have brought to the concern 
with which he is connected a high degree of success. Brooking no obstacles, 
which honest effort can overcome, he has steadily advanced on the high road 

25 



4 68 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

to prosperity and today he occupies an enviable position among the men of 
worth in his native count}". 

Mr. Lutz was born on the old home farm in Chatfield township, Jan- 
nary 18, 1866, and the common schools afforded him the educational privi- 
leges which he enjoyed in his early youth, while later he attended the high 
school in New Washington and the Ohio Normal University at Ada. His 
time, not given to the duties of the school-room, was devoted to work upon 
the home farm, where he remained until 1885, when he began teaching school 
through the winter months. At the age of twenty-two he became connected 
with the operation of a sawmill, but continued his labors as an instructor in 
the public schools until twenty-five years of age. Since that time he has en- 
engaged in general farming and stock-raising, but his efforts have been by 
no means confined to this line, for throughout the entire period he has also 
engaged in the lumber business, operating a sawmill and conducting a lumber 
vard. In 1897 he erected the plant of the Chatfield Bending Company, in 
which enterprise he is associated with James McCormick. They engaged in 
the manufacture of bent-wood material for carriages, wagons and sleds, and 
theirs is one of the leading industrial interests in this part of the county. Em- 
ployment is furnished to twenty men in the shops, and the pay roll and ex- 
penses for timber amount to from thirty-five to forty hundred dollars per 
month. Their patronage is large and is constantly growing, and the firm 
has an unassailable reputation in business circles. On account of the excellence 
and durability of the workmanship, as well as the straightforward business 
methods of the partners, the Chatfield Bending Company has a large trade, 
and the income of the partners is thus annually augmented. 

In May, 1889, Mr. Lutz was joined in wedlock to Miss Elizabeth Kibler, 
and unto them have been born four children: Lester E., O. Ward, S. Vida 
and P. Verna. The wife and mother died in February, 1898, and her loss was 
widely felt throughout the community, for her many estimable qualities had 
endeared her to a large circle of friends. Mr, Lutz is regarded as a leading 
and influential citizen and one whose force of character is felt in the control 
of public affairs. He was elected the first mayor of Chatfield after its incor- 
poration and still holds the position, and has splendidly performed the dif- 
ficult task of placing the new machinery of government in good working 
order. In politics he is a stalwart Democrat and for several years has served 
on the Democratic central committee, while for three years he was township 
treasurer. He belongs to the German Evangelical Lutheran church and is 
in hearty sympathy with every movement for the general good and progress. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 469 

Every public duty and private obligation are discharged by him willingly and 
faithfully. He is yet a young man, full of determination and laudable am- 
bition, combined with business ability, and while he has already won pros- 
perity still further success undoubtedly awaits him. 

JAMES M. DICKSOX. 

One of the prominent and representative citizens of Crawford county, 
Ohio, is James Madison Dickson, whose name carries with it an assurance of 
great financial stability as well as business prominence, as he is the president of 
the Bank of Tiro. The birth of Mr. Dickson was in Vernon township, in 
this county, on February 4, 1851. and he was a son of James and Nancy (Mor- 
row) Dickson, and a member of a family of seven children, four of whom 
still survive, these being: Charles M.. who was born on June 16, 1833, and 
is a farmer and large landowner in Johnson county, Kansas: Mary, who was 
born on April 6, 1836, a maiden lady who resides on her farm east of Tiro; 
Nancy, who was born on November 19. J 838, and is the widow of John Dallas 
and resides with her children; James Madison, who is the subject of this 
sketch ; and those who have passed away but are not forgotten were : Sarah, 
who was born on January 27, 1831, married William Wilson and died on 
August 27, 1893, at Edgerton, Kansas; Rebecca, who was born on November 
15, 1844, and died on November 24, 1888; and Harriet S.. win. was born on 
August 8, 1847, fi rs t married William Xagle. and later J. V. Johnston, and 
died on March 21, 1890. 

George Dickson, who was the great-grandfather of our subject, emigrated 
from Ireland to America, in 1778. bringing his family with him. He settled 
in Franklin count}'. Pennsylvania, but later removed to Indiana count}-. His 
son, Andrew Dickson, who was the grandfather of our subject, was born in 
Ireland on May 2~, ijj6, and was two years old when the family came to the 
United States. He grew to manhood in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, and 
had, with the rest of his family, many thrilling adventures. At one time, while 
still a lad, he was taken by his intrepid mother and carried on horseback over 
the mountains in flight from pursuing Indians. Grandfather had three 
brothers and three sisters, their names being Samuel, George. William, Rachel, 
Leah and Hannah. About the time he reached his maturity the trouble known 
in the history of Pennsylvania as the ''whisky insurrection" broke out. Our 
subject's great-grandfather was a member of the regular army, and, of course. 
it was his duty to suppress the riots, but the family owned much property which 



470 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

had been won by hard labor ; therefore, it was decided that the family, for the 
sake of discretion, should divide, one part of it seeming to aid the insurrection- 
ists. However, the unlawful element was soon conquered and the rioters dis- 
banded. The grandmother's name had been Sarah Frazee, and they reared these 
children: Andrew. George, Jonathan, Mollie, James, Rachel, Leah, Sarah, 
William, Hannah, John, Elizabeth and Margaret, all growing to maturity and 
founding homes of their own, and all now deceased. In later life they could 
recall that their father was called to dinner by the blowing of the horn. The 
death of the grandfather was on January 28, 1859, at the age of eighty-three 
years, eight months and one day, the death of the grandmother being on Oc- 
tober 8, 1850, at the age of fifty-two years. 

George Dickson, who was a brother of the father of our subject, came to 
Crawford county, Ohio, in 1823, and settled in Vernon township, and in 1825 
he planted the first orchard of the township. His son Andrew was the second 
white child born in the township. In 1829 James Dickson, who was the father 
of our subject, followed his brother to Ohio. He purchased two hundred and 
seventy-six acres of land which had been entered by his father some years 
prior, and here James Dickson built a cabin and immediately began the clearing 
of the land. He was a leader in Democratic politics, and efficiently served 
several terms as township trustee and was a prominent member of the United 
Presbyterian church. His death occurred on March 7, 1889. For fifty-one 
years he and his devoted wife lived in close affection before the angel of death 
visited the family. The mother of our subject was born in Auburn township, 
and she was a daughter of Charles and Mary (Cummings) Morrow, who 
were among the early settlers who came to Crawford county from Indiana 
county, Pennsylvania. Her marriage to Mr. Dickson was on October 29, 
1829, and her death took place on December 14, 1879. 

fames Madison Dickson, of this biography, passed his boyhood days on 
his father's farm anal attended the common schools, and at the age of twenty- 
one years assumed the management of the home farm. He first cultivated it 
on shares, but after his father's death he was made administrator. When the 
estate was finally settled our subject purchased one hundred and seventy acres, 
winch included the residence and the farm buildings, but in 1892 he removed 
to Tiro and rented his farm, although he still retains its management. During 
this same year the Tiro Building «^r Loan Association was formed and Air. 
Dickson became the treasurer for two years, later the president, serving in that 
capacity ever since. In the spring of [899 A. C. Robinson, who was the presi- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 471 

dent of the Bank of Tiro, died, and Mr. Dickson purchased his interest and 
later was made the president of this reliable and substantial institution. 

For many years Mr. Dickson has been a prominent politician, a leader in 
the Democratic party, and in 1893 lie was made a member of the central 
committee of the township, and in the spring of 1901 he was elected township 
treasurer, entering upon his duties in September of the current year. He was 
a charter member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592, K. of P., and was the representative 
to the grand lodge both in 1899 and 1900, has passed all of the chairs in the 
order and at present is keeper of record and seals, serving for three years. Mr. 
Dickson is well known not only in this community but also- through the county, 
and his social, political and business prominence makes him a thoroughly rep- 
resentative citizen of Crawford count}-. 

SAMUEL GEE. 

Samuel Gee was formerly express agent at Crestline, but is now living a 
retired life. A brilliant example of the self-made American citizen and an 
excellent exemplification of the progress that an ambitious foreigner can make 
in this country of unbounded opportunity is shown in the case of Samuel Gee, 
one of the leading English-American residents of Ohio'. His increasing suc- 
cess is due to his own energy and the high ideals which his lofty and laudable 
amnition places before him. Success in any walk of life is an indication of 
earnest endeavor and persevering effort, — characteristics that Mr. Gee pos- 
sesses in an eminent degree. 

He was born in Nottinghamshire, England, Julv 21, 1816, and his ances- 
tors for many generations had been farming people of that country. His father, 
Samuel Gee, was a native of the same locality and was an agriculturist by 
occupation. In 1843 ne came to America, taking- up his abode in Townsend, 
Ohio, where he followed farming for a short time. He was not long permitted 
to enjoy his new home, however, for death soon came to him and he passed 
away at the age of fifty-five years. His wife bore the maiden name of Hannah 
Willoughby, and was born in a parish adjoining her husband's birthplace. 
After his death she was again married, and removed to Michigan, where she 
died about 1855. By her first marriage she had two sons and two daugh- 
ters, but the latter died in early childhood. The sons are : Samuel and Peter, 
the latter being a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, a moulder by trade. He is 
eight years his brother's junior. 

Samuel Gee, who was the eldest of the children, was reared and educated 



472 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

in the place of his nativity, pursuing his studies mostly in a private school. 
He gave his attention to mastering the principles of English learning through 
the winter months and in the summer season assisted his father in the work 
of the farm. He and Queen Victoria were about the same age, and Air. Gee 
saw the lovely English monarch man}- times, both prior to her coronation and 
after her marriage to Prince Albert. He witnessed the celebration there in 
honor of George IV, William IV and Queen Victoria in 1837. He was twenty- 
one years of age when she was crowned. He has lived during the reign of 
three English kings and one queen, as has his wife. 

Mr. Gee was married in England. June 22, 1842, to Miss Mary Ann Rad- 
mall, who was born in Nottinghamshire, England, August 21, 1816, and there 
spent the days of her girlhood, acquiring her education in that locality. She 
was the eldest daughter in her father's family. After their marriage Air. and 
Mrs. Gee located in Sheffield, England. He had been educated for the ministry 
and there engaged in preaching as a representative of the Methodist church, 
devoting his life to that work until 1845, when he came to America. His first 
appointment in this country was to the church in Youngstown, Ohio, where he 
remained for two years. He afterward spent one year as pastor of the church 
in Portsmouth, Ohio, then going to Brownsville, Licking county, Ohio, where 
he remained six years. On the expiration of that period he went to Tiffin, 
Ohio, where he continued for four years, serving also as pastor of the church 
at Fostoria during a part of the time. He then came to Crestline and secured 
a situation with the American Express Company, in which he continued from 
i860 until 1893, covering a period of thirty-three years in the service of that 
corporation, at which time the company retired him upon a pension. 

Mr. and Mrs. Gee became the parents of six children: William H., who 
died at the age of five years ; Samuel W., who is assistant manager of the Lake 
Huron steamboat lines; William A., who for many years has been a traveling 
salesman and is now living in Cleveland, Ohio; Lauretta, wife of Isaac B. 
Carlisle, of Buffalo, New York, where he is engaged in manufacturing; Cyn- 
thia E., deceased; Frank B., who for twelve years was train dispatcher for the 
Big Four Railroad Company, on the Cleveland and Columbus division, and is 
now with the C. L. & W. Railroad. 

Mr. and Mrs. Gee are living in quiet retirement in their home in Crestline, 
Ohio, having traveled life's journey together for fifty-nine years, during which 
;time their mutual love and confidence have increased as they have shared to- 
gether the joys and sorrows, the adversity and prosperity which checker the 
lives of all. It is supposed that he was with the American Express Company 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 473 

longer than any other employe, for he entered its service only ten years after 
the organization of the company. He has taken considerable interest in local 
affairs, and for some time was a member of the school board. Mr. Gee has 
now reached the very venerable age of eighty-five years. He can look back 
over the past without regret and forward to the future without fear, for his 
has been a useful, honorable and upright life, true to his duties to his fellow 
men. 

LUDWIG DURR. 

Luclwig Durr was born in Chatfield township, June 7, 1845, a son of 
Henry and Cathirine ( Green ) Durr. In his early youth he attended the com- 
mon schools, and at the age of sixteen he began working for Adam Klink. 
receiving" eight dollars per month in compensation for his services. He was 
thus employed for two years, and at the age of eighteen he began operating 
his father's threshing machine and also ran a wood-saw until his marriage, 
since which time he has given his attention to agricultural pursuits. He re- 
moved to Sandusky township, where he rented land for two years and then 
went to Chatfield township, where he also operated a rented farm for two 
years. On the expiration of that period he bought ninety acres of land in 
Chatfield township and afterward purchased two additional tracts of fifty and 
eighty acres respectively. In 1883 he removed to the farm upon which he now 
resides — a tract of one hundred and sixtv acres in Lykens township. He also 
owns another farm of one hundred and eight acres, his landed possession- 
amounting altogether to two hundred and sixty-six acres. He carried on gen- 
eral farming and stock-raising" until 1900, but is now practically living a re- 
tired life, the active work of the farm being performed by others, while lie is 
enjoying a well-merited rest. 

In the year 1869 Mr. Durr was united in marriage to Miss Mary Brown, 
a daughter of Caleb Brown, and they became the parents of four children : 
Eliza, the wife of William Fick, of Lykens township; Katie, who married 
Jacob Kellar, of the same township; and two who died in infancy. The eldest 
daughter was a music teacher and Katie engaged in teaching school. Mr. and 
Mrs. Durr took into their home in 1874 John Baumgardner, of Columbus, 
who remained at their home until the age of twenty-one, when he began the 
manufacturing of tiles. Thev also reared Alpha Bardner, who resided with 
them between the ages of six and seventeen years. 

In his political views Mr. Durr is a Democrat, and keeps well informed on 



474 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the issues of the day, thus being able to support his position by intelligent 
argument. For two years he served as assessor. Starting out in life empty- 
handed at the age of sixteen years, he has been the architect of his own fortunes 
and has budded wisely and well, acquiring through determined and honorable 
effort a comfortable competence. 

JOHN P. SHECKLER. 

John P. Sheckler, who is the subject of this sketch, has been a life-long 
resident of a state which has become one of the most prominent in the great 
union of states, born in Richland count)', on March 3, 1829. His parents were 
John and Rachel (Pettit) Sheckler. pioneers of the county and for a number 
of years among the most highly esteemed residents. 

John Sheckler was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, in Novem- 
ber, 1790, and he was a son of Frederick and Catherine (Monroe) Sheckler. 
He grew to manhood in his native place and in 1812 made a trip to Ohio, 
where settlement was being made. However, after looking over the unsettled 
country, he returned to his home until the spring of 1819, when he returned 
to Ohio and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in Auburn township, 
and this same farm is now the property of our subject. Two years later he 
returned to establish a home on this land, building a log cabin in the great 
woods, and soon after he brought his wife thither. At this time game was 
abundant in this locality, and. as Mr. Sheckler was a fine hunter, the larder 
was well supplied with venison and other game. In this pioneer home eight 
children were born, the four survivors being: Thomas, a farmer of Whitley 
county. Indiana; John P., the subject of this sketch; George, of Whitley 
county; and Christina, the wife of William Willett, of Richland county, Ohio. 
When his eldest daughter was about thirteen years of age Mr. Sheckler was 
bereaved of his faithful wife, a blow from which he never recovered. This 
capable young daughter took charge of the housekeeping and cared for her 
father until his death, on August 15, 1859. In early life he voted with the 
Democratic party, but later he became a Republican, and he was a consistent 
member of the Baptist church, having lived a worthy and upright life. 

John P. Sheckler is a worthy representative of this honorable and honest 
man. His early life was passed among pioneer surroundings and his educa- 
tion was acquired in the log school house of those days, with its puncheon 
floor and slab benches. When he was twenty-three years old, with his brother 
George, he began farming, on shares, and for two years the brothers managed 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 47 5 

the farm; then our subject decided to see something" of the outside world, and 
made a trip to Indiana. For one year he worked as a farm hand in Whitley 
county, but decided to return to his heritage in Ohio, and there, with his 
brother George, again carried on farming operations. After the death of his 
father our subject purchased fifty acres of the home farm, and also a tract of 
sixty-two acres, which was desirable, as it lay immediately across the highway 
from his land. The owner, a Mr. Carlisle, was willing to dispose of it, and 
thus our subject soon had a farm of one hundred and twelve acres. In 1899 
our subject's brother James and his two sisters died, and our subject then 
bought the remainder of the farm, making his holdings two> hundred and 
twenty-two acres. 

In 1862 Mr. Sheckler was married to Miss Lenora Ashley, who was born 
in Crawford county, a daughter of Ebenezer Ashley, who was a native of the 
state of New York and was one of the early settlers of Crawford county. 
Three children were born to our subject and wife, viz. : Mary, single, at 
home ; Blanche, the wife of D. F. Grove, of this township ; and one who died 
young. 

In politics Mr. Sheckler is an active Republican and takes a deep interest 
in the success of his party. For many years he has been a leading member 
of the Baptist church, in which he is a deacon, and he is fraternally connected 
with the Auburn Grange, No. 956, and the Patrons of Husbandry. Probably 
no man in the township is more highly esteemed. He is one of the leading 
farmers and a thoroughly good citizen, interested in every movement for the 
advancement of the various enterprises which promise to be of benefit to his 
neighborhood. 

JAMES MORROW, Sr. 

James Morrow, a leading and representative citizen of Crawford county, 
owns and operates a fine farm in Auburn township. He is a native 'son of this 
township, his birth having occurred on the 30th of April, 1844, a son of James 
and Margaret (xA.ke) Morrow. At the early age of sixteen years our subject 
began operating on shares the old home farm, which was entered from the 
government by his grandfather, there continuing to make his home until the 
time of his marriage, which occurred on the 17th of December. 1868, Miss 
Mary E. Cory becoming his w T ife. She is a daughter of Thomas and Esther 
G. (Brown) Cory. In the following spring Mr. Morrow located on seventy- 
four acres of his father's farm, which he operated for one year, when his pres- 



476 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ent home farm of one hundred and sixty acres was deeded to him by his father 
and he took up his abode upon his new possession. For the past fifteen or 
twenty years, however, he has rented most of his land, and, being' a natural 
mechanic, has devoted much of his time to the work in his shop, where he does 
all kinds of wood and iron work. When he located upon his present farm it 
was covered with the native timber, with the exception of twenty acres which 
had been partially cleared and improved, and their first residence was a primi- 
tive log cabin which had been built by a former owner. Mr. Morrow, however, 
immediately began the arduous labor of clearing and developing his land, and 
although the task was a stern and hard one, he succeeded in placing his fields 
under a fine state of cultivation and made all other necessary improvements. 
His present commodious and comfortable residence was erected in 1871, and 
in the following year his large barn was built. 

Air. and Mrs. Morrow have had no children of their own, but they have 
an adopted daughter, Bernice C, whom they have reared from the age of two 
years. J. B. Finney, now a young man of nineteen years, has also found a 
pleasant home with this worthy couple for the past eight years. He is a bright 
and promising student in telegraphv in the Pennsylvania Railroad office in 
Tiro, Ohio, and expects soon to enter the employ of that company. In his 
political affiliations Mr. Morrow is a Democrat, and on that ticket he was 
elected for one term as land appraiser, and has also held many other minor 
offices, including those of supervisor and school director. He is uniformly 
honored and esteemed, and his record is one which reflects credit upon himself 
and does honor to the commonwealth in whose progress and welfare he is &'& 
deeply concerned. 

GEORGE O. BLAIR, M. D. 

Although Tiro, Ohio, is fond of boasting of its desirable location and its 
healthful breezes, it welcomes among its citizens a physician who comes with 
good credentials, who displays the requisites which go toward making not only 
an addition to the professional circles but also to those of society and business. 
Among those who have found a congenial home and an encouraging and in- 
creasing practice in this prosperous town is Dr. George O. Blair, who has been 
a resident since 1896. 

The birth of Dr. Blair was in Cardington, Morrow county. Ohio, on 
February 12, 1865, and he was a son of James and Amy (Carr) Blair, who 
were the parents of eight children, the seven survivors being: Eva, who is the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 477/ 

widow of Zenas Worthington, of Cardington, Ohio ; Mary and Robert, who are 
at home; George O., the subject of this sketch; Addie, the wife of George 
Crane, of Columbus ; Amy, the wife of Roy Quay, of Iberia ; and Kate, with 
her sister in Columbus. 

James Blair was burn in Richland county, Ohio, in 1816, and grew to 
maturity there, acquiring but a limited education. In his young manhood he 
read medicine for a short time, but circumstances caused him to give up the 
study and he devoted his time thereafter to farming. After leaving heme he 
remained a short time in Knox county, Ohio, and then went to Morrow county, 
where he married Miss Ensign and had a family of six children, the three sur- 
vivors being: Alex, of Cardington, Ohio; Daniel, of Mansfield. Ohio;. 
and Anna, the wife of James Duncan, of Chicago, Illinois. After the death 
of the mother of these children Mr. Blair married our subject's mother, who 
still survives. When he left his parents' roof it was as a poor boy, bul his life 
was one of energy and industry, and he left to his family, at his death, a tine, 
well-improved farm of one hundred and three acres, securing to his wife a com- 
fortable competency. In political life he advocated the principles of the Re- 
publican party, and was prominently identified with the Masonic order. Mr. 
Blair was very successful in both his farming and stock-raising, and possessed 
excellent judgment in regard to real estate. 

Idle mother of our subject was born in 1837, and she was a daughter of 
Daniel Carr, both parents belonging to old Xew England stock. During her 
childhood she was bereft of her mother, and she was reared by a family of the 
name of Robinson, of Knox county, and grew into a most estimable woman, 
respected and valued in the Presbyterian church and beloved by her old neigh- 
bors, among whom she still resides, on the old farm at Iberia. 

Dr. Blair was reared in a pleasant home and acquired the foundations of 
his education in the common schools. Later he became a student at the Ohio 
Central College and at Muskingum College, at New Concord, Ohio, and after 
passing a most satisfactory examination, prepared to teach school. Perhaps, 
however, he inherited from his honored father the inclination toward the medi- 
cal profession, which had been subdued in the latter, and instead of becoming 
a pedagogue he entered upon a course of medical reading in the office of Dr. 
\Y. C. Bennett, at Iberia. After one year of study, on September 15, 1889, 
he entered the Starling Medical College, of Columbus, where he attended lec- 
tures during that and the following winter, again entering Dr. Bennett's office,, 
returning to the college during the winter of 1891-2, in March, 1892, entering 



478 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the Kentucky Medical College, at Louisville, at which he graduated with 
honor, on June 20, 1892. 

Upon his return to Iberia, Dr. Blair entered into practice in association 
with his former preceptor, and remained with him until the following January, 
when he located in Louisville, Ohio, where he opened an office and for three 
years enjoyed a lucrative practice. In April, 1896, Dr. Blair decided to make 
Tiro his home, and since that time he has built up a growing practice and has 
won the esteem and confidence of the whole community. 

The marriage of Dr. Blair was on March 28, 1894, to Miss Pearl Macin- 
tosh, a native of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and who is a daughter of George 
Macintosh,, who was a prominent lumber dealer of Williamsport, Pennsyl- 
vania. To our subject and his estimable wife one child has been born, — Mary 
Gladys, on February 9, 1895. 

Dr. Blair is a member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592, K. of P., and also of the 
American Medical Society. He is still a student, for, like the leading members 
of his noble profession, he is not willing to allow any modern specific for dis- 
ease or new method of treatment to- escape his notice. Outside of his pro- 
fessii >nal duties the Doctor has proven himself a useful and desirable member 
of both social and business circles. 

GEORGE W. HOOD. 

George W. Hood, who through many years has been an engineer in the 
service of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago; Railroad Company, and makes 
hrs home at Crestline, was born in Carroll county, Maryland, June 7, 1837. 
His father, Thomas Hood, was a native of the same locality, born in 1809, 
and there he carried on agricultural pursuits throughout his active business 
career, making his home in his native county until his death, which occurred 
in 1S95, when he had attained the ripe old age of eighty-six years. In his 
early political affiliations he was a Whig- and voted for Henry Clay, and later 
he joined the ranks of the Republican party. He married Catherine Grimes, 
who was born in 1807 and spent her early life in Carroll county, Maryland. 

George W. Hood was the fourth in order of birth in a family of nine 
children born unto this worthy couple, all of whom are now deceased with the 
exception of George W. Hood and his youngest brother. He acquired his 
education in the common schools of his native county, and in early boyhood 
began work on his father's farm, assisting in the cultivation of the fields until 
-eighteen years of age. when, not wishing to follow the plow throughout his 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 479- 

entire life, he determined to enter the railway service, and therefore he secured 
a position as brakeman on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and was afterward 
promoted to engineer on that line in 1859, acting in that capacity until 1862, 
when he entered the service of the Northern Central Railroad Company, which 
is now part of the Pennsylvania system. He has continued with the road from 
that time to the present, and is, therefore, one of its oldest representatives. 
His first run was from Baltimore to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He then went 
to Pittsburg, and has been running between Pittsburg and Crestline from 1862 
until the present time. For thirty years he has been a passenger engineer, and 
during that time has been in only two small wrecks, one being a head-end 
collision, which occurred June 2, 1864, between Salem and Lattona. At that 
time he was carrying a train load of mules for the government and the train 
was checked in time to avoid any serious damage, not one being injured. The 
other collision was with a freight train that was trying to clear the track for 
him but failed to get the engine off the main track, when Mr. Hood's engine 
struck the freight and he sustained a broken arm. With these two exceptions,, 
however, he has never had any accidents, and is known for his watchful care 
and close attention to duty. 

Air. Hood has been twice married. In 1870 he wedded Lucy Ann Gray, 
and after her death he was again married, in 1893, his second union being with 
Effie E. Grim, who was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1863. They 
now have one daughter, Georgia Ah. who was born in Crestline, February n, 
1897. Air. Hood is a Republican in his political affiliations, and has never 
failed to cast his vote at the presidential elections since i860, when with his 
first ballot he supported Abraham Lincoln. He holds membership in the 
Methodist Episcopal church and is a very courteous gentleman, of even tem- 
perament, agreeable manners and kindly nature. 

SAMUEL LUDWIG. 

Samuel Ludwig was a son of Michael and Sarah (Hanks) Ludwig, and 
the latter was descended from a family of English Quakers, or Friends. The 
first representative of the name in America crossed the Atlantic just after the 
edict of Nantes was revoked and took up their abode in Pennsylvania. 
Michael Ludwig died in early manhood, leaving a family of six children. His 
widow afterward became the wife of Nicholas Yocom, a wealthy farmer of 
Berks county, Pennsylvania, whose sons, Nicholas and Moses, became the larg- 
est iron masters in east Pennsvlvania. Samuel Ludwig and his half-brothers 



48o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

performed almost all of the work upon his stepfather's farm of four hundred 
acres, yet through industry and close application he acquired a good education, 
his intellectual training being largely directed by his mother, a lady of superior 
education and intelligence. After his marriage Samuel Ludwig removed to 
Reading, Pennsylvania, and became an active factor in the manufacturing in- 
terests of that city. He conducted a wagon and plow factory for twenty-three 
years, carrying on business on an extensive scale and amassing a fortune. He 
had the ability to formulate his plans readily and was determined in their exe- 
cution. His business judgment was rarely at fault and he seldom made a mis- 
take in even the slightest detail. He was a man of strong individuality, and 
one of his most marked characteristics was his great thirst for knowledge. 
His leisure hours were almost entirely given to reading, and he thus mastered 
to a marked degree subjects on chemistry, geology, natural philosophy and 
history, and his information on those subjects was only surpassed by professors 
in such lines. He was often offered positions of public trust, and his fellow 
townsmen greatly desired that he should represent them in the state legislature. 
but he preferred the quiet of his home and of his study to the turmoil of public 
life, and passed his most pleasant hours in the companionship of his books. 
In 1831 he visited Bucyrus and purchased one hundred acres of land adjoining 
the town on the east. He then returned home, and the same year brought his 
family to Crawford count}". In 1832 he purchased an additional tract of 
eighty acres, bordering the east corporation limits of the city, and thereon he 
made his home for thirty-eight years. In 1840 the father was the owner of 
three thousand acres of land in Crawford, Seneca and Sandusky counties, Ohio, 
and was one of the richest men in this portion of the state. In j 841;, at the age 
of sixty-two years, he successfully piloted a party of young men to California, 
then the scene of great mining excitement, and after seeing them landed on the 
Pacific coast in the Golden state he returned by steamer to Xew Orleans and 
then home to Ohio. 

Samuel Ludwig was united in marriage to Elizabeth Redca, a daughter 
of Hon. John Redca, a member of the Democratic legislature from Berks 
county. They became the parents of eleven children, namely: Isaac, Jere- 
miah, Samuel, Mary, Hanna, Alary, William, Michael. Henry, Solomon and 
Jane L. The last named is the only survivor of the family. Mr. Ludwig 
spent the closing years of his life in the home of his daughter, Mrs. H. D. E. 
Johnston, now Mrs. Abraham Monnett, his wife having previously passed 
away. He closed his eyes in death December 20. 1876, at the age of eighty- 
eight years and eleven months. His career was ever such as to warrant the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 4«i 

trust and confidence of the business world, for he ever conducted all trans- 
actions on the strictest principles of honor and integrity. His devotion to the 
public good was unquestioned and arose from a sincere interest in the welfare 
of his fellow men. 

SEBASTIAN BROWN. 

The prominent and influential citizen of Jefferson township, Crawford 
county, Ohio, whose name is the title of this article, was born in Sandusky 
township, Crawford county, Ohio, December 16, 1832, a son of Joseph Brown, 
who was an early settler in Ohio. 

Joseph Brown was born near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and early in 
life learned the carpenter's trade. In company with his brother-in-law, Nicho- 
las Tustison, he came to Ohio with an ox team and located within the present 
borders of Jefferson township, Crawford county, where he took up eighty 
acres of government land on the usual contract of one dollar and a quarter an 
acre. He married Elizabeth Swarty, daughter of Sebastian Swart}-, a Revo- 
lutionary soldier who was with Washington when he made his perilous crossing 
of the Delaware. After his marriage he built a log cabin on his land and 
pushed forward the work of clearing and improving the farm as rapidly as 
possible. 

After a brief absence from his native township, Sebastian Brown returned 
to Jefferson, where from the age of nine years he attended the common sch< w ils, 
and afterward worked on his father's farm until he married and began life for 
himself. Margaret Fox became his wife March 15, 1859, and bore him six 
children, the following facts concerning whom will be found interesting in 
this connection. Their daughter Emma died at the age of eighteen months. 
Their son Joseph M. lives at Crestline, Ohio. Their son James A. lives on the 
family homestead with his father. Their son Willard is a farmer in Clinton 
county, Michigan. Their son Homer K. lives at Crestline, Ohio. Their 
daughter Laura B. is a member, of their household. For a year after his mar- 
riage Air. Brown lived in Richland county, Ohio. From there he removed to 
Defiance county, Ohio, on eighty acres of wild land which he bought of his 
father and on which he lived two years. 

In 1864 Mr. Brown enlisted as a private in Company I, Forty-seventh 
Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was in battle at Stone River, Cum- 
berland, Kenesaw Mountain, Mission Ridge and Marietta, Georgia, and started 
with Sherman on his march to the sea. At Burford, Georgia, he was taken 



482 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

sick and was sent to Chattanooga and afterward to a hospital at Nashville. 
He soon recovered and rejoined his regiment, but was again taken ill and was 
eventually sent back to his home in Jefferson township. In 1865 he returned 
to Defiance county, Ohio, where he lived until 1870. In the year last men- 
tioned he moved on his eighty-acre farm in Jefferson township, which he has 
improved into a valuable property. While he is not a politician in the ordinary 
sense of the term, he is active in township affairs, and for six years he has held 
the office of township trustee and has come to be known for a liberal public 
spirit which impels him to give his support to every measure which promises to 
promote the general good. He has kept alive memories of the Civil war 
through his membership of .Snyder Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of 
Crestline, Ohio. 

AARON RADER. 

Through industry and enterprising efforts Aaron Rader advanced to 
a leading position among the substantial farmers of Crawford county, and 
was regarded as one of the most reliable citizens — a man who in all life's 
relations commanded the respect and confidence of his fellow men. His birth 
occurred in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, May 29, 181 7, his parents 
being Peter and Catherine (Fried) Rader. His youth was spent in the state 
of his nativity and as he grew to manhood he learned the miller's trade, 
which he followed as a source of livelihood for a number of years. Later he 
turned his attention to farming" and throughout the greater part of his resi- 
dence in Crawford county he carried on agricultural pursuits. 

Believing that he might better his financial condition further west, Mr. 
Rader removed from Pennsylvania to Crawford county, Ohio, in 1856, and 
took up his abode in Sandusky township, where he secured a tract of land. 
With characteristic energy he began its further development and improve- 
ment and in course of time made it a very valuable property, adding thereto 
all modern accessories and conveniences. His.buildings were substantial and 
modern, his machinery of the latest improved kinds and he was widely known 
as a progressive farmer. His business affairs were so well managed that he 
yearly added to his income, and in the later years of his life he was enabled to 
live in quiet retirement in the village of Sulphur Springs. 

On the 8th of September, 1840, was celebrated the marriage of Aaron 
Rader and Miss Sabina Bauer, and unto them were born nine children, seven 
of whom are yet living, namely: Owen Henry, Enos George, Maria Cath- 




AAROH RADER. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 485 

erine, Jacob, Thomas, John David. William Benjamin and Francis Aaron. 
Two have passed away, James Peter and Franklin. The latter died in Elsinore 
Springs, California, March 28, 1897. In earl}- life he engaged in teaching; 
school in this state and afterward was connected with journalistic work for a 
time. He next established a hardware store in Clyde, Ohio, and in 1883 he- 
went to Los Angeles, California. He soon rose to prominence there and 
taking an active interest in politics became a recognized leader of his party in 
that city. His fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, elected him 
to the high office of mayor in 1894 and his administration was so just, so 
practical and progressive that it won the commendation of all parties. He 
was one of the most popular and honored residents of Los Angeles, and when 
he passed away young and old, rich and poor came to pay their last tribute of 
respect him whom they had so highly esteemed. He was prominent in Ma- 
sonic circles and was laid to rest with the beautiful Masonic service for the 
dead. 

Mr. and Mrs. Rader reared a family of children of whom they had every 
reason to be proud. Three of their sons were gallant soldiers in the Civil 
war, — Owen H., James P. and Enos G. — all being members of the Forty- 
ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In his political views Mr. Rader was a stal- 
wart Republican, unswerving in his advocacy of the principles of the party 
in which he so firmly believed, yet he never sought or desired office as a re- 
ward for party fealty, preferring to give his entire time and attention to his 
business affairs, in which he met with signal success. After a residence 
of thirty-six years in Crawford county he passed away at his home in Sulphur 
Springs, on the 30th of April, 1892. His life was ever honorable and he left 
to his family the priceless heritage of an untarnished name. His widow, now 
in her seventy-eighth year, is still a resident of Sulphur Springs and has many 
friends there, as well as in her old home neighborhood in Liberty township. 

JAMES PETER RADER. 

A loyal soldier during the Civil war and for many years a faithful public 
official, the life history of James Peter Rader well deserves a place in the an- 
nals of Crawford county, whither he came in his boyhood with his parents, 
Aaron and Sabina (Bauer) Rader. He was born in Northampton count}-, 
Pennsylvania, April 1, 1843, an ^ was reared upon his father's farm, earl}- be- 
coming familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agri- 
culturist, as he assisted his father in the work of the fields. He acquired a fair 

26 



436 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

education and greatly broadened his knowledge through reading, experience 
and observation in later life. 

When the troubles over the slavery question had precipitated the country 
into civil war his patriotic spirit was aroused and he resolved to strike a blow 
in defense of the Union. Accordingly he offered his services to the govern- 
ment and became a member of Company B, Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer In- 
fantry. He took part in many of the important engagements of his regiment 
and finally received an honorable discharge, after which he returned to his 
home in Crawford county. 

Air. Rader was married to Miss Julia Musgrave, a daughter of Robert 
Wallace Musgrave, one of the pioneers and distinguished citizens of Craw- 
ford county. Since her husband's death Airs. Rader makes her home in 
Sulphur Springs. She has a very wide acquaintance throughout the county 
and is most highly esteemed for her many excellencies of character Air. 
Rader rose to prominence in political circles and was a stanch Republican, 
giving an unfaltering allegiance to the Republican party, in whose principles 
he SO' firmly believed. He was appointed and served as posmtaster of Bu- 
cyrus and was afterward a government clerk in the treasury department at 
Washington, a position which he held continuously up to the time of his 
death, which occurred in Bucyrus, January 7, 1880, when he was in the Aery 
prime of manhood, being then thirty-seven years of age. Methodical and 
exact he performed his work in a most capable manner and was a most trust- 
worthy representative of the department. He was a man of many sterling 
traits of character, genial and popular and wherever he went made friends. 



WILLIS A. BROWN. 

One of the leading business men of Crawford count}', Ohio, who is 
financially interested in many of its prominent industries and who is cashier 
of the Farmers' & Citizens' Bank of Tiro, is Willis A. Brown, who also owns 
and manages the leading mercantile business of this prosperous town. Willis 
.\. Brown was born in Liberty Corners, in Vernon township, Crawford 
county, on July 22, 1859, anc ^ ne was a son °f* Joseph D. and Sarah J. 
1 Dickson) Brown, and a grandson of William Brown, who was a pioneer 
in Richland county in 1830. Seven children were born to the parents of 
Willis A. Brown, and our subject is one of the four survivors, the others be- 
ing: Mary A., who is the wife of John Brown, Jr., of Vernon township; 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 487 

Josie S., who is the wife of J. M. Van Tilburg, the postmaster of Tiro; and 
John E., who is a resident of Pasadena, California. 

Willis A. Brown grew to manhood under the parental roof, and finished 
the common-school course before entering- upon a business career, for which 
he has seemed peculiarly well fitted. In March. 1879, he entered the store 
of Brown & Davis, the former representing his father, in the capacity of a 
salesman. One year later the senior Mr. Brown purchased the interest of Mr. 
Davis and during the two succeeding years Willis proved to his father's sat- 
isfaction that he possessed the attributes which would enable him to become 
a successful man of business. In 1881 our subject and his brother-in-law. I. 
M. Van Tilburg, succeeded Mr. Joseph D. Brown in the business, the firm name 
being Brown and Van Tilburg, but two years later Mr. M. L. Callin purchased 
the interest of Mr. Van Tilburg and the firm name changed to Brown & 
Callin. This connection continued for two years at the end of which period 
our subject became the sole proprietor and successfully managed the growing 
interests by himself until in 1893, when his father-in-law. J. H. Stevens, was 
admitted into partnership, the latter purchasing a one-half interest, and the 
firm name was changed to Brown & Stevens. Three years later our subject 
again became the sole owner and since that time has most judiciously man- 
aged the affairs of the old and established house, with which his family name 
has been so long connected. 

Mr. Brown is one of the progressive and energetic young men of the 
count}-, and his mind has long been exercised concerning other business en- 
terprises. One result was his organization, in April. [896, of the Farmer's & 
Citizens' Bank of Tiro, with Mr. A. C. Robinson as president, Joseph 1). 
Brown as vice-president and our subject as cashier, with Mr. C. L. Morton as 
assistant cashier. In April, 1899, Mr. Robinson died and Mr. J. M. Dickson 
purchased the interest of Mr. Robinson and was made president of the bank, 
since which time the officers of the institution have remained the same, with 
the exception of the withdrawal of Mr. Morton. This bank is recognized 
as one of the sound financial institutions of the county and its organizers 
and officers are men of the highest financial responsibility and (if unimpeach- 
able integrity. 

The marriage of Mr. Brown was on September 5. 1883. when he was 
united in marriage to Miss Nora Stevens, who was the daughter of J. H. 
Stevens, the latter now making his home with our subject. Four children have 
been born to this union, these being: Stevens W. ; Sherman J., deceased; 
Sadie E. ; and Edna A. Fraternally he is connected with Tiro Lodge, Xo. 592, 



4&8 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

K. of P., of which he was a charter member. In political life he has been 
prominently identified with the Democratic party, and was made a member 
of the first board of election in the county, but he resigned that office to be- 
come postmaster, under the administration of President Cleveland, serving in 
that official capacity during- both presidential terms. For some ten years Mr. 
Brown was the very satisfactory township treasurer and for two years he 
served with efficiency on the school board. All of his family are members 
of the Lutheran church and to this religious body he is liberal in his support of 
all Christian work. 

Few men in the county have displayed more business ability in the same 
length of time than Mr. Crown. His mind is fertile in resource and quick 
to seize opportunity, while his judgment is calm and trustworthy. It was 
through his efforts that the Auburn Milling Company was organized, with. 
John VV. Hahn as president, who is also president of the Ohio Millers' In- 
surance Company, and our subject is one of the stockholders and is its secre- 
tary and treasurer. In 1896, when the Bell Spice Cabinet Company was or- 
ganized, our subject became a member and for two years was president of this 
company, since that time filling the position of vice-president, and he is also 
a member of the Tiro Building & Loan Association, a very important busi- 
ness enterprise of this city, and acts as treasurer of this company also. The 
confidence he has inspired by his honorable business methods and his ex- 
emplary life place him in the front rank of the worthy representative men 
of Craw ford county. He is practical and self-reliant and is of that mental fiber 
that enables him to seize business opportunity and to convince others of the 
wisdom of his decisions. 

JAMES E. HARROP. 

James E. Harrop and William A. Stine are the proprietors of the Keil & 
Harrop livery and sales stables of Bucyrus. 

Mr. Harrop was born in Crestline, Crawford county, Ohio. October n, 
[862, his parents being Hugh and Catherine (Cover) Harrop. His grand- 
parents, James and Ann Harrop, came from England to America in the year 
1866 and located in Crestline. The grandfather was a weaver by trade and 
while in England followed that pursuit, but after arriving in America worked 
in the Pennsylvania Railroad shops with his son, Hugh, throughout the re- 
maining years of his active, busy career. He died in 1878, at the age of sixty- 
seven years, and his wife passed away in 1872, when aged sixty-three rears. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 489 

Hugh Harrop was born in Ashton, Lancashire county, England, March 
27, 1832, and died September 9, 1889. He was reared under the parental 
roof and in his youth he learned the machinist's trade. In 1857 he emi- 
grated to America, landing in New York City, whence he made his way to 
Philadelphia. For a short time he worked at his trade there, but soon went 
to Niagara Falls, New York, where he remained until the 1st of January, 
i860. He then came to Crestline and here found employment in the shops 
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and soon was promoted as foreman, 
which position he held for more than a quarter of a century, or until the 
time of his death. Fie was an active worker in the Methodist Episcipal 
church and was a prominent Mason, having taken the Knight Templar degree 
-of the York rite and the thirty-second degree of the Scottish rite. He was one 
of the well known and highly esteemed citizens of Crestline and was a stanch 
Republican in politics, but never sought or desired office. 

In earlv manhood Hugh Harrop was married to Miss Catherine Cover, 
.and unto them were born five children, of whom four are yet living, namely: 
James E. ; George, who is the manager for the Central Union Telegraph 
Company, at South Bend, Indiana; Frank, who is one of the owners of the 
Crestline Machine Shop, at Crestline, this county; and Bertha, the wife of R. 
U. Miller, an attorney of Crestline. 

James E. Harrop spent his boyhood days under the parental roof and 
obtained his education in the public schools of Crestline. In 1887 he and 
William A. Stine formed a partnership and embarked in the livery business 
at Crestline. In 1890 Mr. Harrop sold his interest to Mr. Stine and came 
to Bucyrus, where he has since been engaged in the livery business. Mr. 
.Stine continued in that business at Crestline continuously from 1887 to tne 
spring of 1901, and then came to Bucyrus. becoming again the partner of 
Mr. Harrop. They are proprietors of what is known as "the old John Keil 
liverv stables," and do the largest livery business in Bucyrus, having a fine 
Tine of carriages and a goodly number of excellent livery horses. They are 
large buyers and sellers of horses, doing a greater business along this line than 
am* other dealer in the county. They handle a high grade of horses 
and do a straightforward, legitimate business. Carloads after carloads of 
horses are annually sold at their stables by auction, and thus many a pleased 
customer has purchased of them driving and draft horses of the best quality. 

In 1886 Mr. Harrop married Miss Emma Zink, daughter of David L. 
Zink. who has been ticket and freight agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad 
-at Crestline for over forty years, being for many years joint agent for this 



49© CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

railroad and the Big Four Railroad. Mr. and Mrs. Harrop have two interest- 
ing sons, namely : Hugh J. and Spencer. He is a member of the Benevolent 
and Protective Order of Elks and also of the Masonic order, being a Master 
Mason. In business he has been successful and among men he is regarded as 
enterprising and public spirited. 

GEORGE A. BRAUSE. 

One of the few middle-aged residents of Lykens township, Crawford 
county j Ohio, who was born on the farm on which he now lives, is George 
Brause, who first saw the light of day May 29, 1855. Mr. Brause is a son of 
Rudolph Brause, who was born at Kenesa, Germany, in 1826, and was brought 
to America in 1832 by his parents, John and Hannah Brause. The family 
from the fatherland and settled on the Bower farm, or, at least, on forty acres < >f 
it, which the elder Brause took up as government land and on which he erected 
a log cabin. The old German emigrant died in Iowa, at the age of ninety- 
three years. Rudolph Brause married Catharine Klink, a daughter of John 
Klink, originally from German}-, who came to Crawford county from Colum- 
biana count)' and located in Liberty township. 

Rudolph and Catharine ( Klink) Brause had eight children. Their daugh- 
ter Elizabeth married Jacob Fike, of Lykens township. Catharine, who be- 
came the wife of Joshua Miller, is dead. Caroline died at the age of twenty 
years. The subject of this sketch was the fourth in order of birth. John lives 
in Chatfield township, Crawford count}-. Fidelia is the wife of Jacob Seigler. 
of Seneca county. Willis lives in Lykens township. Emma died young. Ru- 
dolph Brause learned the carpenter's trade in his youth and was employed as 
a carpenter until he was married, when he engaged in fanning, and for some 
years ran a threshing machine in season. He moved upon the farm where the 
subject of this sketch was born and where he now lives, about 1847, shortly 
after he was married. His first purchase of land there was of forty acres, on 
which was a log house in the midst of a small clearing. At the time of his 
death, in 1892, he owned three hundred and sixty acres of land in Lykens town- 
ship. His good wife died in November, 1896, aged seventy-two years. 

George A. Brause was born and reared on the old family homestead in 
Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, and lived there until he was twenty- 
five years old. He gained his education in the public schools near his home, 
and under his father's special direction was inducted into all the mysteries of 
successful farming. When he branched out for himself he bought eightv acres- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 49* 

of land, which he partly cleared and on which he lived eight years. He then 
sold that property and bought one hundred and sixty acres, which he still owns, 
and on which he lived until 1897, when, after the death of his mother, he re- 
turned to the old homestead. He was married February 12, 1889, to Miss 
Marv A. Green, daughter of Jacob Green, of Chatfield township, who has 
borne him five children: Edward Rudolph, George Walter, Clarence Albert, 
Rosa Mary and flattie Magdaline Catherine. 

Mr. Brause's heme farm consists of two hundred and thirty-nine acres.. 
Adding to this his other farm of one hundred and sixty acres, it will be seen 
that he is the owner of three hundred and ninety-nine acres of good and well- 
improved land. He devotes himself to general farming and stock-raising. 
In politics he is a Democrat, and he and his family are members and attendants 
upon the services of the German Lutheran church. Neither an office seeker 
nor a practical politician. Mr. Brause yet exerts a well-defined influence in 
shaping the destinies of the township and county, and his excellent judgment 
in all the affairs of every-day life encourages his fellow citizens to seek his 
advice in matters of public moment. A man of intense patriotism and much 
public spirit, he has the weal of the people of his township and county very 
close to his heart and is generous in his aid of all movements for the general 
good. 

SAMUEL ESTERLINE. 

A noted writer has said. "The present is the child of all the past, the mother 
of all the future." If this be true, where will the generations of the future 
find a more impressive lesson or faithful guide than in the study of the lives 
of those men who have achieved a successful prominence in the busy walks 
of life? There is in the intensified energy of the business man, fighting the 
every-day battle of life, but little to attract the attention of the careful ob- 
server; but to the mind fully awake to the stern realities of life there are 
noble and important lessons in the life of the man, who, withoult other aid 
than a clear head, a strong arm and a true heart, conquers adversity and wins 
for himself honor and distinction among his fellow men. Among such men 
we may mention Samuel Esterline, one of the representative farmers and 
stock-raisers of Crawford county. 

Mr. Esterline is a native son of the Buckeye state, his birth having occurred 
in Sandusky township, Crawford county, on the 13th of March, 1844. He is 
a son of John and Elizabeth (Kaler) Esterline, who were the parents of four 



492 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

children, three now living, namely: Henry, a resident of Crestline, Ohio; 
Franklin, of this township; and Samuel, the subject of this review. The 
latter was reared on the home farm, acquiring his education in the common 
schools of the neighborhood. After his marriage he purchased a threshing 
machine and began its operation, having been identified with that work at 
intervals since his fifteenth year, but after one season he sold his machine and 
located on his father-in-law's farm, where he remained for one year. On 
the expiration of that period he removed to the farm now owned by Jacob 
Glower, which he also operated for one year and then returned to his father's 
farm, remaining there for two years. His father-in-law having died, Mr. 
Esterline then purchased his farm of one hundred acres, where he has ever 
since made his home. He is very progressive in his farming methods, his 
fields having been brought to a high state of cultivation, and the place is 
now one of the model country seats in Crawford county. In addition to the 
raising of the cereals best adapted to this soil and climate he is also ex- 
tensively engaged in the stock business, and his farm now contains the best 
grades of stock to be found in the county. He has met with excellent success 
in this line of his business, and has been largely instrumental in improving 
the grade oi stock raised in this section. For seventeen seasons Mr. Esterline 
has also been engaged in threshing. 

The year 1865 witnessed his marriage with Miss Sarah E. Humphrey, 
a native of Vernon township, Crawford county, having been born on the 
farm on which she now resides. Five children have graced their union, 
namely: Charles B., deceased; Nora D., the wife of James Brubaker, of 
Shell))', Ohio; Jefferson, a resident of Shelby, Ohio; Ada G., at home; and 
Amy, who is also at home and is a popular and successful teacher. In political 
matters 'Mr. Esterline casts his ballot in favor of Democratic principles, and 
for six years he has served as trustee of his township. He is a member of 
the Church of God, in which he is an active and zealous worker, and in all 
the relations of life he is true and loyal to the duties of citizenship. He takes 
a prominent part in all public affairs calculated to benefit his community, and 
is one of the wide-awake and progressive citizens of the county. 

WILLIAM A. STINE. 

William A. Stine was born in Crestline, Ohio, January 2r, 1858, his 
parents being Adam W. and Hannah (Wentz) Stine, and is the fourth in 
order of birth of seven children. The father was a native of Berks county, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 493 

Pennsylvania, and the mother was born in Perry county, that state. Coming 
to Crawford county they settled in Crestline, where the father became a pros- 
perous contractor and builder, and proprietor of a saw and planing mill. In the 
public schools of Crestline our subject obtained a limited education. His busi- 
ness career has been mentioned in the biography of James E. Harrop. which ap- 
pears above. He has met with fair success in business and is a gentleman of 
honor and integrity. In 1895 Mr. Stine married Lizzie Hoover, and their home 
is brightened by two children, namely : Martha and Harriet. They have re- 
sided in Bucyrus since the spring of 1901. 

JOHN B. CAMPBELL. 

A landmark in Crawford county, Ohio, is the fine farm of John B. Camp- 
bell, on the Galion and Bucyrus pike, four and a half miles from Bucyrus, in 
Whetstone township. There Mr. Campbell was born April 4. 1849. a son of 
Edward Campbell, who was born and reared in Wayne count}-, Ohio, and a 
grandson of John Campbell, who was an early settler in that count}'. In 
1823 John Campbell brought his family to Crawford county, Ohio, and set- 
tled in Whetstone township, where his son, Edward, is still living, and where 
he took up government land. He built a log cabin and applied himself to 
the task of clearing and improving a farm. He was a man of ability and 
influence and lived a useful life and died at the age of seventy-six. Edward 
Campbell was brought up amid the vicissitudes of backwoods farming and 
acquired such an education as was available to him. He married Amanda 
Tupps, who bore him four children. Their daughter, Catharine, married 
Frank Keiffer and is dead. Their son, Samuel K.. is managing his father's 
homestead farm. Their son, John B., who is the immediate subject of this 
sketch, was their third child in order of birth. Their daughter, Lettie J., mar- 
ried Andrew H. Gibson and lives on Grandfather Campbell's old homestead, 
in Whetstone township, which in the days of its founder was the center, not 
only of a generous hospitality, but of an influence which extended in many di- 
rections, for that honored pioneer served for many years in the office of jus- 
tice of the peace at one time represented his district in the legislature, and 
he was an active member of the Disciple church. His son Edward has been 
devotedly attached to the same church and during all his active life was 
prominently identified with township and county affairs. He is the owner 
of eight hundred and forty acres of land, all of which lies within the borders 
of Whetstone township, and he has been one of the leading sheep raisers in his 



494 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

part of the state. His wife died in 1889, aged sixty-nine years. He attained 
to the advanced age of eighty-five years, becoming quite feeble, having been 
the victim of a paralytic stroke in March. 1901. He died November 5. follow- 
ing. 

John B. Campbell was horn and reared on the farm on which he now 
lives, was educated in the public schools near his home and at Lebanon, Ohio, 
and at the age of nineteen began teaching winter terms of school, giving his 
attention to home interests during the remainder of the year. In 1872 he 
married Miss Jennie Shanks, a daughter of David Shanks, and they have two 
children — Mabel Campbell, who was educated at the State Normal School at 
Ada. Ohio, and is a teacher, and Urias Edward. After their marriage Mr. 
and Mrs. Campbell settled on Grandfather Campbell's old home farm, where 
they lived ten years, then located on their present farm of one hundred and 
sixty acres, all the tine improvements on which have been planned and carried 
out by Mr. Campbell. He has given his attention to general farming and 
has come to be known as a successful breeder of Shorthorn cattle and is a 
very prominent sheep raiser, and in 1892 he was in fair competition awarded 
a premium for large yield of scoured wool per fleece grown in the United 
States, dnring the vear 1892, which was conferred upon him at Boston, Mas- 
sachusetts. He is a Republican in politics and like his father and grandfather 
has made his influence felt in local affairs, though he is not an active politician 
and has never sought public office, but his public spirit has impelled him to 
ally himself with many movements having for their object the enhancement 
of the g-eneral weal. 

JOSEPH D. BROWN. 

Among the men of hardy enterprise and undaunted courage, who made 
for his family a home in Richland county, Ohio, in the days while still the 
wild beasts of the forest roamed at will and howled at night around his pio- 
neer cabin, was William Brown, who was the father of Joseph D. Brown, 
the subject of this biography. In 1830 William Brown came to Richland 
county from his native state, bringing with him his bride and settling upon 
lands which his far-seeing father had previously purchased in this then almost 
unsettled portion of the state. William Brown was born in Indiana county, 
Pennsylvania, in 1808, and he was a son of Jeremiah and Elizabeth (Cum- 
mings) Brown, both of whom were natives of Ireland. Jeremiah Brown was 
a successful farmer and distiller and exerted influence in his locality, and when 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 495 

the desirable farming land in Richland county, in the neighboring state, 
came upon the market he hastened to buy farms there for his growing sons, 
although William was the only one to settle there. 

\\ nen he came to Richland county, as it was then called, William Brown 
located with his young wife on a vast tract of timbered land, consisting of 
two hundred and forty acres, in Vernon township. The site of the home 
farm is now owned by David Weaver. Here the new settler built his log 
cabin and for some thirty years engaged in clearing and cultivating his land. 
In 1869 he sold this property and then purchased a farm of three hundred 
acres in Auburn township and resided there some ten years, and then dis- 
posed of that property to purchase another tract of three hundred and four 
acres, in Springfield township, near Crestline, and here he lived until the 
time of his death, on August 9, 1890. Mr. Brown was a man of intellect and 
was conspicuous for his strong sense of justice. If his employes worked 
even but one hour over the stipulated time they received a compensation for 
it. In politics he was a Democrat and was one of the leaders in his party, 
efficiently serving in almost all of the local offices. Both he and his wife 
were consistent members of the Methodist church, where they were held in 
the highest esteem. 

The mother of our subject was born near Steubenville, Ohio, in 1808, 
and passed out of life on June 30, 1889. Her parents died while she was a 
child and she was reared in a neighbor's family. The family born to Will- 
iam Brown and wife consisted of ten children, six of these still surviving, as 
follows: Joseph D., who is the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth, who is the 
widow of Norman Martin, of Richland county; George C, of Crestline; 
Martha J., who is the wife of Rev. H. B. Miller, of Wooster, Ohio; Mary, 
who is the widow of A. D. Seibert, of La Grange county, Indiana: and 
Amanda, who is the widow of Joseph Lewis, of Monroeville, Indiana. 

Joseph D. Brown, who is the subject of this sketch, was born in Rich- 
land county, Ohio, on May 27, 1832, and he was a son of William and Sarah 
(Ellis) Brown. His rearing was in the pioneer Imme and his education was 
acquired in the common schools of his neighborhood. On March 1. 1855, 
he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah J. Dickson, who was a native of Au- 
burn township, in Crawford county, and who was a daughter of Andrew Dick- 
son. In 1852 Mr. Brown made preparations to make a trip to California, but his 
mother opposed the project and he delayed starting until the following spring. 
Then he prepared to go to the far west and open up a hotel, in association 
with another man, but the latter failed him at the last moment, and our sub- 



496 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ject decided to abandon the idea. Hence he purchased eighty acres of land near 
Liberty Corners, in Vernon township, and settled upon it after his marriage, 
engaging extensively in the raising of cattle and sheep, being especially suc- 
cessful in the management of the latter. As time went on Mr. Brown was 
able to purchase more land and improve it. increasing his farm to two hun- 
-dred and fifty acres, and finally, in 1883, sold two hundred acres for seventeen 
thousand dollars. 

In 1878 our subject rented his farm to his son-in-law and moved into 
Tiro and built the residence now occupied and owned by Mr. George Owens, 
and established the general store, after erecting the building, which is now 
Conducted by \Y. A. Brown, his son. In 1883 he sold his farm and pur- 
chased one hundred and seventy acres of George Carrothers. which was lo- 
cated immediatelv south of the town, and resided there until 1896, when, on 
.account of an accident to Mrs. Brown, by which she broke a limb, he decided 
to remove to Tiro, where both he and wife have resided in comfortable re- 
tirement ever since. 

Mr. and Mrs. Brown have had seven children, their names being as 
follows: David C, Georgiana and Martha E., all deceased; Mary A., the 
wife of John Brown, Jr.; Willis A., of whom a biography appears in this 
volume; Josephine, the wife of J. M. Van Tilburg; and John E., of Pasadena, 
California. These children were all given the best possible educational ad- 
vantages and reflect credit upon their careful rearing, and have become rep- 
resentative citizens in the various localities where they have made their 
homes. 

In politics Mr. Brown is liberal, with a tendency toward Democratic 
doctrine, while in voting he selects from the various tickets. He has ef- 
ficiently served several terms as township treasurer, and is one of the reliable 
and esteemed residents of the county. Both he and wife are among the lead- 
ing members of the Presbyterian church in Tiro, and Mr. Brown is a liberal 
supporter of every charitable and benevolent enterprise connected with the 
church or that promises to benefit the community. 

SHERMAN H. STEVENS. 

Sherman H. Stevens, who is one of the substantial, reliable and highly 
esteemed citizens of Cranberry township, Crawford county. Ohio, was born 
in the house which he now occupies, on May 24. 1858. He is a worthy son of 
one < if the well known and respected pioneers of this county, Jacob H. Stevens, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 497 

who has the distinction of being the oldest living- resident of Auburn township. 
The mother of the subject of this sketch was formerly Miss Sarah J. Wallace, 
who was a native of Pennsylvania and was a daughter of Jefferson Wallace, 
who located in Richland county at an earl}- day, later removing to Cranberry 
township, in Crawford county. 

Until his twenty-first year Sherman H. Stevens remained at home, as- 
sisting on the farm and acquiring an education in the common schools At 
that period he took charge of the home farm, consisting oftwo hundred and 
thirty acres, and worked on the share plan, remaining thus engaged for two 
years, and then went to Sandusky township and took charge of what was 
known as the Kuntz farm, which had passed into the posesssion of the father 
of our subject. One year was spent by Mr. Stevens on this farm, as a bach- 
elor, but on April 27, 1882, he was united in marriage + o Miss Clara R. 
Siefert, and he was thus provided with a most admirable companion, an es- 
timable lady and an excellent housekeeper, trained in all domestic wavs. She 
was a native of this county, and she was a daughter of Jacob Siefert ( a sketch 
of the Siefert family can be found in the biography of John E. Siefert, who 
is a brother to Mrs. Stevens). Upon this farm our subject and wife resided 
until the fall of 1894. During the ensuing years our subject was extensively 
engaged in the manufacture and shipping of maple syrup, his trade extending 
to all parts of the United States, his shipments aggregating thousands of 
gallons of this delicacy. His opinion was that he could realize more financial 
returns from two months' work in the sugar camp in the spring than from an 
entire summer's work in general farming. 

In the fall of 1894 Mr. Stevens removed to the home farm and in the 
following winter he acquired the homestead, with one hundred and fifty acres 
of land, which he yet owns. He also efficiently manages his father's farm 
of eighty acres. Although he has the management of a large extent of land 
he has practically given up active work on the farm and has his farm under 
rental at present, his time and attention being required to enable him to look 
after his large interests in the buying and selling of stock. Mr. Stevens owns 
a large herd of valuable cattle, known as Aberdeen, and is the only citizen 
of the county, with one exception, who owns any of these high-priced ani- 
mals. 

Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, the survivor being- 
Freeman W. S., who was born on June 12, 1892. a bright, intelligent lad, 
who bears promise of worthily upholding a name which his father and grand- 
father have made respected through Crawford county. Politically Mr. 



498 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Stevens is a stanch Republican and takes an active interest in public affairs, 
and is fraternally connected with Hyperion Lodge, No. 651, K. of P., of New 
Washington, and was a charter member of this lodge. The social and busi- 
ness standing of Mr. Stevens is very high in this locality and his name is a 
leading one among" the representative men. 



JOHN OUTHWAITE. 

Among the public-spirited and leading farmers of Crawford county is 
John Outhwaite. He was born in Bedford, now Fulton count)-, Pennsyl- 
vania, on the 10th of November, 1820, a son of William and Elizabeth 
(Thompson) Outhwaite. The father was born in Yorkshire, England, in 
1794, a son of Francis and Elizabeth (Robinson) Outhwaite. Francis Outh- 
waite was a well-to-do farmer and miner, and also conducted what was known 
as a raft yard, where lumber was sawed by hand, one man standing above 
and the other below the log. The father of our subject grew to manhood 
under the parental roof, receiving the advantages of a thorough education. 
When about seventeen years of age he entered a wholesale and retail grocery 
store in the town of Richmond, where he served an apprenticeship of four 
years. He then went to the city of London and secured a clerkship with 
Pettv & Wood, wholesale grocery, tea and liquor merchants, where he re- 
mained for about two years, and then engaged in business on his own account. 
He was there married to Elizabeth Thompson, of East Witten, Yorkshire, 
England. Her father was a well-to-do farmer under Lord Essix. He had 
four sons, namely: John, Richard, Thomas and William, and two daughters, 
Elizabeth and Hannah, of whom the eldest was the mother of our subject. 
Thomas, the third son, united with the Methodist Episcopal church, and at 
the age of seventeen became a minister of the same In the year 182] he was 
married, and in 1823 he emigrated to Bedford county. Pennsylvania, where 
he remained until 1828, when he removed to Upper Sandusky, Ohio, where 
he took charge of the Wyandot mission. — the first mission in the world, — 
where he was minister and teacher among the Wyandot Indians for seven 
vears, under whose supervision the Stone mission church of Upper Sandusky 
was erected and stands as a memorial for the beginning of mission work. In 
1835, for fear of his children marrying among the Indians, he moved to his 
farm near Republic, Seneca county, Ohio. He was then appointed by con- 
ference as the preacher in charge of the Mexico circuit, where he had twenty- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 499 

eight appointments. He was afterward appointed presiding elder of the dis- 
trict embracing Berea, where he received a donation of forty thousand dol- 
lars for the beginning of the Baldwin University 

In 1818 William Outhwaite, the father of our subject, bade farewell to 
the home and friends of his native land and sailed for the United States, 
much against his parents' wishes, and for this he was disinherited. The first 
half of the journey was made in twelve days, but they then encountered ad- 
verse winds and fifty-four days had passed ere they reached the shores of the 
new world. On his arrival Mr. Outhwaite purchased a farm of one hundred 
and twenty acres, for which he paid seven hundred dollars in gold, and after 
residing there for seventeen years, during which time he cleared eighty- 
acres and also made other improvements, he sold the tract for seven hundred 
dollars, the purchase price, with payments of one hundred dollars, to be made 
yearly. In the spring of 1836 he removed to Seneca county. Ohio, purchas- 
ing eighty acres of land at Rockaway, to which he afterward added fifty acres, 
and there he resided until a short time before his death, when he moved into 
the town of Republic, where he passed away in 1858. Mr. and Mrs. Outh- 
waite became the parents of five children, three of whom still survive, namely : 
John, of this review; William, who resides at Red Cloud, Nebraska : and 
Francis, of Rockaway, Seneca county, Ohio. After the death of the mother 
of these children the father was again married, choosing for his second wife 
Miss Mary Bell. Mr. Outhwaite was a stanch old-line Whig, and was a 
worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal church. 

John Outhwaite, whose name introduces this review, acquired his early 
education in the common schools of the neighborhood. On reaching his 
twenty-fourth year he began working on his own account, and for one year 
operated a thrsher, after which he worked at farm labor and at carpentering, 
becoming an expert joiner, although he never served an apprenticeship to 
that trade. He did considerable building for the following seven years, and in 
i8_!7 purchased his present home farm of one hundred and sixty acres. The 
land was then in its primitive condition, but he erected) a log cabin in the midst 
of the forest, although he did not make this his permanent home until after 
his marriage, which occurred in 1855, Miss Drucilla Brown becoming his 
wife. She is a native of Seneca county, Ohio, and a daughter of William 
Brown, who removed to that county from Canada, his native place. This 
union has been blessed with five children, two now living, — Susan B-, the 
wife of W. A. Tucker, of Todd township, Crawford county, and John, of 
Wyandot county, Ohio. After a happy married life of fourteen years Mrs. 



5oo CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Outhwaite was called to her final rest, and in 1872 our subject married Miss 
Susanna Brown, a sister of his first wife. 

After his first marriage Mr. Outhwaite located on his farm in Todd 
township, Crawford county, and in 1S70 he erected one of the finest resi- 
dences in the locality. His place is under an excellent state of cultivation, 
and a glance at its neat and attractive appearance would indicate to the 
passer-by the supervision of a thrifty and progressive owner. In political 
matters Mr. Outhwaite casts his ballot in favor of the men and measures of 
the Republican party. He is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal 
church, in which he has held the office of trustee for many years, and all 
movements intended for the public good of the community receive his hearty 
support and co-operation. 

ANTHONY HERMAN. 

Mr. Anthony Herman is a self-made man, who, without an extraordinarv 
family or pecuniary advantages at the commencement of life, has battled 
earnestly and energetically, and by indomitable courage and integrity has 
achieved both character and fortune. By sheer force of will and untiring 
effort he has worked his way upward. The vast forests of Ohio afford excel- 
lent business opportunities to the manufacturer of lumber and Mr. Herman 
is among those now extensively and successfully engaged in this line of busi- 
ness, being a member of the well-known firm of Herman & Mahon. He was 
born in the province of Alsace, which was then under French rule, on the 13th 
of May, 1848, his parents being Joseph and Catherine (Swartz) Herman. 
The father was born about 1796, the mother about 1802. and both are natives 
of Alsace, where they were reared and married. The father followed farming 
as a life occupation, carrying on that work at the place of nativity until 185 1, 
when, with his family, he emigrated to America, spending three months in 
Canton, Ohio, after which he located in Seneca county. He purchased a farm 
of one hundred and thirty acres and thereon made his home until 1870, when 
he sold the property and removed to New Washington. Crawford county. 
There his remaining days were spent in quiet retirement from toil, as he had 
acquired a competence sufficient to meet all his wants without recourse to 
further work. He passed away in 1874. and his wife died in 1872. In political 
views he was a stalwart Democrat and in religious faith was a Catholic. 
Anthony Herman, whose name begins this sketch, was only about three 
years of age when brought by his parents to the new world. He acquired 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 501 

his education in the common schools of Ohio, and after coming to New- 
Washington entered upon an independent business career, being employed 
during the "first year as a farm hand. In 1871 he apprenticed himself to the 
carpenter's trade and after the completion of his term of service he followed 
that pursuit until 1876. He was then married and after his marriage he pur- 
chased fifty acres of land in Seneca county, four miles north of New Wash- 
ington, and with his bride he removed to his new home, where he began farm- 
ing, continuing to cultivate the fields for three years, after which he sold the 
place and returned to the town. He then purchased his present sawmill busi- 
ness and began operations on a small scale and by his indefatigable industry 
and business ability soon was enabled to build up an industry of considerable 
magnitude. After three years he admitted his brother John to a partner- 
ship in the business. They put a new engine into the sawmill and it was in 
that department that the brother was interested, Mr. Herman owning the 
planing mill alone. After a time, however, our subject purchased his brother's 
interest and carried on operations alone until [888, when he formed the pres- 
ent partnership with Charles Mahon. This relationship has since been main- 
tained and the firm is recognized as one of the leading business concerns in 
this line in this part of the county They have their mills well equipped with 
the latest improved machinery and the best facilities for carrying forward 
their work, their patronage constantly increasing and bringing to them a very 
satisfactory financial return. In connection with his other interests Mr. Her- 
man is proprietor of a millinery establishment in New Washington, which is 
conducted by his daughters. 

In January, [876, Mr. Herman was united in marriage to Miss Mary 
Steiert, a native of Erie county and a daughter of Ferdinand Steiert, who: 
was born in Germany. Their union lias been blessed with nine children, eigiiT. 
of whom are yet living, namely: Josephine, now the wife of Jacob Prom- 
enshenkel, of Crestline; Ida and Emma, who are engaged in the millinery 
business; Nellie, Catherine, Marie, Pauline and Margaret, who are still under 
the parental r< m if. 

Mr. Herman exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and 
measures of the Democratic party and has served for seven and a half years 
as township treasurer. He is also a member of the city council of New 
Washington and has acted in that capacity for eight years, discharging In- 
official duties with promptness and fidelity. He holds membership in the 
Catholic church and for six years he has served as a member of the church 
council. He withholds his support from no movement or measure that is 

27 



502 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

calculated to prove of general good and has steadily advanced along the 
highroad to success. He is a man of steadfast purpose, unflinching' integrity 
and upright principles, — virtues to which the splendid civilization of America 
is indebted for its wonderful development and its glorious progress. 

JOHN E. SIEFERT: 

John E. Siefert is a telegraph operator and station agent at Xew Wash- 
ington and is a popular and obliging representative of the railroad and tele- 
graph corporations, lie has made many friends through his unfailing cour- 
tesy, as well as through his prompt and faithful execution of his business 
duties. 

Air. Siefert was born in Whetstone township, Crawford count}-, De- 
cember 26, 1862. his parents being Jacob and Catherine (Whitcum) Siefert. 
idie father was born in Stark county, Ohio, about 1835, an ^ ^ vas a son "t 
John and Solemena (Lantz) Siefert. He remained at home until about eight- 
een vears of age, when he went to Ashland, Ohio, to learn the blacksmith's 
trade. After completing his apprenticeship he worked for several years as a 
journeyman, and during his residence in Ashland he was married. Soon after- 
ward he located in Whetstone township, Crawford county, settling on the 
original site of the old town of Olentangy, where he conducted a blacksmith 
shop. In 1862 he removed to Xew Washington, where he opened and op- 
erated the blacksmith shop now owned and carried on by Fred Carle. He also 
built and conducted a carriage factory, employing five workmen in the black- 
smithing department and four in the other departments of the business. He 
became one of the leading merchants and representatives of the industrial in- 
terests in the town. Many of the buggies and spring wagons built by him 
are still in use in and around Xew Washington. He was an expert work- 
man, energetic and reliable, and his business integrity was above question. 
He died in 1871, at the comparatively early age of thirty-six years. An active 
member of the Lutheran church, he had held church offices for a number of 
years and was ever faithful to the teachings of that denomination. In pol- 
itics he voted with the Democracy, but his business interests claimed too 
much of his attention to allow him to become an active factor in political 
affairs. He was a lover of hue horses and could handle any horse, always 
owning some fine specimens of the noble steed. The mother of our subject 
was a native of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, born in 1835, aiu ^ was a ' 
daughter of John and Alary Whitcum. both of whom were natives of that 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 503 

state. They went to Ashland county, Ohio, at an early date and in later 
years removed to Crawford county, settling in Cranberry township, where 
they remained until called to the home beyond. Mrs. Siefert survived her 
husband until March, 1899. She was the mother of six children, but only 
two are now living-, the sister, who is older than our subject, being Mrs. 
Clara R. Stevens, the wife of S. H. Stevens, of Cranberry township. 

From an early age John E. Siefert has depended upon his own resources, 
and whatever success he has achieved in life is due to his earnest efforts. 
At the age of thirteen he began earning his own livelihood as a farm hand. 
He spent the summer of 1881 as an employe in a brick yard in New Wash- 
ington and the following year he entered the telegraph office of the Pennsyl- 
vania Company at this place, taking up the study of telegraphy. In the spring 
of 1883, having mastered the business, he was placed in charge of the office 
at Vernon Junction, where he continued for eight years, and in 1891 he was 
promoted to the office at Xew Washington, where he has since remained 
as telegraph operator and railroad and express agent. His genial disposition 
and obliging manner have made him very popular with the patrons of the 
road, and he is highly esteemed in the town and throughout the surrounding 
country. 

On the 25th of November, 1888, Mr. Siefert was united in marriage to 
Miss Sarah J. Bair, a native of Whetstone township and a daughter of John 
and Rebecca (Shearer) Bair. who came to Crawford county from Stark 
county among its early settlers, taking up their abode in Whetstone township. 
Three children graced the union of our subject and his wife: Florene 
M., Hazel R. and Chauncey J. The mother died October 31, 1893, mourned 
by a large circle of friends. Mr. Siefert was married, on October 23, 1901, 
to Miss Amanda L. High, of Xew Washington, Ohio. She is a daughter of 
Adam and Matilda L. ( Hesse) High, who were of German birth. Both were 
born in Germany and emigrated to this country with their parents in early 
childhood, settling in New Washington, and always resided in and around 
this village. Mrs. Siefert was born in New Washington, Ohio. February 2. 
1866. Her early girlhood days were spent in attending school, and she is a 
graduate of the New Washington high school, being a member of the class of 
1886. In September, the same year, she entered the New Washington public 
schools as a primary teacher, which position she successfully rilled for four 
years, when the board of education promoted her to the intermediate depart- 
ment for one year, thence to the grammar department, which position she ably 
filled for two years. During these years at vacation time she attended school at 



504 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Ada, Ohio, two terms and at Valparaiso, Indiana, one term. Her health failing, 
she abandoned the work for some time. After again taking up the work she 
taught twelve successful terms in the district schools of Cranberry and Chatheld 
townships. She is a member of the New Washington Methodist Episcopal 
church and has always been an active member in all church work. 

Mr. Siefert belongs to Hyperion Lodge, No. 651, K. P.. and to the 
Uniform Rank, and in the former he has filled all of the offices. In politics 
he is a stanch Democrat. Although his life has been quietly passed it is 
worthy of emulation in many respects, showing the power of a strong force 
of character, energy and determination in the practical affairs of life. 

JACOB H. STEVENS. 

A deep interest in the pioneer days through which many of the older resi- 
dents of our enlightened country have passed, with honor to themselves and 
benefit to the younger generation, is but a natural feeling; and those wdio still 
remain to show the honest, sturdy and manly stock of which pioneers were 
made, receive but their just tribute of gratitude. Among the old settlers of 
Auburn township, Crawford county, Ohio, no one is more highly esteemed 
than Jacob H. Stevens, who is the subject of this biography. 

Jacob H. Stevens was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, on October 
31, 1817, and he was a son of Amos and Hannah (Cunning Stevens, who 
reared a family of eleven children, five daughters and six sons, but of these 
only two survive, these being Jacob II., of this sketch, and his brother Amos, 
of Arkansas. 

Amos H. Stevens was born near Allicott's Mills, Maryland, on October 
16, 1778, and he was a son of Augustus and Sophia (Young) Stevens, these 
parents being of English and Welsh extraction. Later Grandfather Au- 
gustus Stevens moved to Washington county, Pennsylvania, and there made 
his home on a farm, lmt finally came to Columbiana county, Ohio, 
and spent his last days with his son Amos. Amos Stevens was given 
as good school opportunities as were then possible, but books were scarce 
and even the rich could secure for their children what we would now regard 
as only the outlines of an education. Some brothers of the father of our 
subject resided in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and it is probable that Amos 
Stevens also resided there a time, but after his marriage he and his voting 
wife came to Geauga county. Ohio, prior to 1802, when it was admitted as 
a state. At that time the country was a vast wilderness, with no hierhwavs and 



' CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 505 

no means of communication with civilization except by long and toilsome 
journeys through the forest, and with the wild beasts of the woods still in their 
accustomed haunts and the equally savage Indian a frequent visitor. Within 
three miles of another intrepid pioneer, Amos Stevens erected his log cabin 
and became a resident of the "Buckeye state," although at that time the 
name had not yet been bestowed upon it. 

The causes which induced Mr. Stevens to leave this section are not 
known to the family, but he later removed to Columbiana county and there 
entered a one-quarter section of land, and again built a pioneer cabin of logs, 
and once more began the clearing and then cultivating a farm. Here he s< >< m 
made many improvements, erected a more modern residence, added sixty 
more acres of land and made this a pleasant home, where the family lived until 
1834, when he sold this property and came to Crawford county. Here Mr. 
Stevens located in Cranberry township, where he purchased two hundred and 
forty acres of land from Isaac Mathews, this property having been entered 
some ten years previously. But a small tract of this land had been cleared 
and upon it stood a small log cabin, which served through one winter as a 
shelter to the family of Mr. Stevens, in the following spring a more com- 
modious one being erected. Here Amos Stevens lived and labored and here he 
died. In his later years he accumulated much more property, buying and 
entering different tracts, until he owned at one time fully six hundred acres of 
Ohio soil. Physically he was a typical pioneer, strong, energetic and coura- 
geous, a man who dared every danger and feared no hardship. In his re- 
ligious life he was a strict Methodist and was. in fact, a local preacher of 
that faith, going many miles to perform the sacred duties of that calling. In 
his political belief he was a Whig and from principle became a great aboli- 
tionist. 

The mother of our subject was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, 
on July 2, 1784, and she was a daughter of Robert and Nancy (Young) Cun- 
ning, the former of whom was born in Ireland. The latter was a native of 
England, and the maiden name of her mother was the same as that of G. M. 
Stevens, also born in England, but of no kindred. G. F. Cunning came to 
America prior to or about the time of the Revolutionary war, and was a 
member of the patriot army. Mrs. Stevens lived until in her ninety-second 
A-ear, dying on June 8, 1876. 

Jacob H. Stevens, who is the subject of this sketch, remained at home 
until his twenty-sixth year, attending school in his early youth in the old 
school house, in the clearing, where he well recalls the puncheon floor, the 



5o6 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

slab benches and the greased paper for windows. He was the strongest of 
his father's sons, and probably was the most willing, and he assumed much 
of the most laborious part of the clearing and cultivation; as must be re- 
membered, this was done with no machinery and very little apparatus. About 
his twenty-sixth year he and his father caine to an agreement as to his future. 
Three of his brothers and several of his sisters had been given assistance by 
the father, when thev left home, and our subject felt that some like provision 
should be made for as faithful a sun as he had been. The father intended, 
doubtless to be just, but he imposed hard conditions. A tract of heavily 
timbered forest land, covered with underbrush, one hundred and fifty acres 
of the home farm, should be his for the sum of eight hundred dollars, which 
was to be paid to his father, in installments. He had no money to start a 
career in any other place, and he accepted his father's proposition and began 
with energy to clear his land. 

In 1849 our subject was married to Miss Sarah J. Wallace, who was a 
native of Pennsylvania and was the daughter of Jefferson Wallace, who came 
to Richland county, Ohio, at an earl)- day, later removing to Cranberry town- 
ship, in Crawford county. Ten children were horn to our subject and wife, the 
five survivors being among the best and most reliable citizens of this county, 
and thev are as follows: Amos W., of Auburn township; Almira, the wife 
of Frank Albright, of Whetstone township; Sherman H., of Cranberry town- 
ship; Julia jVL, the wife of Freeman Brown, of Shelby, Ohio; and Nora, the 
wife of AVillis A. Brown, of Tiro, Ohio. 

After subject had succeeded in paying for his farm and in placing it in 
a prosperous condition, he began the purchase of other land, the first tract 
being one of eighty acres adjoining his own land, which belonged to his 
brother. Late in the '50s he bought one hundred and twenty acres in San- 
dusky township, another of one hundred acres in the same township, this be- 
ing followed by a purchase of one hundred and twenty acres in Liberty town- 
ship, and his last purchase being in 1882, when he became the owner of one 
hundred and forty-seven acres in Auburn township. This land Mr. Stevens 
acquired for his children, and after he had become satisfied that he could do 
well for all of them he bought a small tract of sixty-four acres, a part of which 
is within the corporate limits of Tiro, and removed to it. There he and his 
most estimable wife resided until her death, on December 26, 1893, when he 
deeded this land to his daughter, Airs. Brown, and went to live with her. 

In his political life Air. Stevens has been a Republican for many years, 
although his strong temperance principles induced him to vote with the Pro- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 507 

hibition party for a time. He is distinguished as being' the oldest living resi- 
dent of Auburn township. His years have reached eighty-four, but his mind 
is clear and his memory of past events is vivid. Many of his years have been 
spent in the most laborious toil, but he has always possessed both energy and 
ambition, and stands to-day as a worthy representative of the perseverance, 
courage and zeal, which has made the extraordinary progress possible, which 
has given Crawford county its prominence in this state, which latter has be- 
come known as the "New Mother of Presidents," well deserving the title. 

REV. ISRAEL LUST. 

Probably there is no better known or more highly esteemed citizen in 
Crawford count}-, ( )hio, than Rev. Israel Lust, the subject of this biography, 
who has traveled at least twelve thousand miles, back and forth through the 
country, laboring in the interests of Christianity. Not only is he a preacher 
ot power and convincing argument, but he is an author of considerable note, 
especially in the religious world, and has also successfully carried on large 
agricultural 1 iperations. 

The birth of Mr. Lust was in Chatfield township, in this county, on De- 
cember i 1. 1839, and he was a son of Conrad and Magdalena ( Myers) Lust. 
They reared nine children to maturity, and our subject is the eldest of the fam- 
ily, the others being: Susan, the wife of Christian Klink, of Chatfield town- 
ship; John, of Cranberry township; David, of Dallas township: Catherine, the 
wife of William Hunsicker, of Lykens township; Sophia, the wife of Emanuel 
Yeiter, of Liberty township: Solomon, of Chatfield township; Daniel, of 
Chatfield township; and Elizabeth, the wife of John Biel, of Chatfield town- 
ship. 

The father of this family of prominent and highly respected children 
was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1812. and in 1819 accompanied his 
parents, who were John David and Elizabeth Lust, to America. Grandfa- 
ther Lust brought with him his wife and eight children, all of whom were in 
great danger, during the long voyage of ninety days, of never landing in the 
new country, upon which their hopes were set. The captain of the slow sail- 
ing vessel lost his bearings, and even touched the shore of Greenland before 
he made the harbor of Philadelphia ! 

Grandfather Lust settled on a small farm in Lebanon county. Pennsyl- 
vania, for the welfare of his children. One of his sons, quite a young boy. 
died crossing the ocean and was buried in the grave of the Atlantic sea, which 



5o8 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

was the most heartfelt trial of his and the grandmother's life. He lived six 
years in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, quite poor, working hard to support 
a family of small children. He and another man by the name of Jacob Buck 
thrashed in one winter with a flail, forty-five hundred bushels of wheat, at 
three cents per bushel ! 

After living six years in Pennsylvania he came to Richland township, 
Marion county, Ohio, among the Delaware Indians, and bought ninety-three 
acres of wild woodland, at the government price. Grandfather Lust there, 
with his sons, soon succeeded in clearing away quite a tract of land, by living" 
mostly on hominy and boiled wheat, as then, in 1826, there were no grist- 
mills nearer than from thirty to sixty miles distant. The wild woods were 
everywhere inhabited by Indians, wolves and bears. Bears made raids upon 
his hogs right beside his log cabin ! In order to get wheat flour and corn meal 
he dressed a common boulder to the thickness of one-sixteenth of an inch, and 
three feet in diameter, through which he drilled a hole four inches in di- 
ameter, and through this he put a stout pole, one end of which he ran into a 
stump, into which there was made an auger hole, a large flat stone lying beside 
the stump, over which the dressed stone was rolled to and fro to crack the corn 
or wheat. The broken grain was then sifted through a sieve made of home- 
tanned groundhog leather. Most truly, "Necessity is the mother of inven- 
tion." This historic stone is still remaining on the farm. 

Xow. in the years 1828 to 1830 Grandfather Lust had more wheat raised 
than was needed by his family. He sent the father of our subject, Conrad 
Lust, to Sandusky City over the old state road, from Marion to Little San- 
dusky, thence to Upper Sandusky and to Fort Ball or Tiffin, then to Fremont 
and then to Sandusky City, with a yoke of young oxen and about twenty-two 
bushels of wheat, the price of which ran from fifty cents to a dollar. This he 
exchanged mostly lor clothing goods. It required eleven days and nights to 
return again, over a distance of about sixtv miles of wild-woods road. 

On or about the year of 1832 a road was constructed by a company from 
Columbus to Sandusky City, called the Columbus & Sandusky Pike, which 
was running directly through the farm of Grandfather Lust, of which pike his 
three sons — Gottlieb, Conrad and Frederig Lust — constructed a mile and a 
quarter, all along their home in Marion county, for which services they secured 
a section of real wild land of the pike company in Chattield township, Craw- 
ford county, and on this they settled in the year 1837. Over the above pike were 
sometimes from thirty to forty-five teams in one train hauling wheat to San- 
duskv City from Marion and Delaware counties. Grandmother Lust died in 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 509 

the year 1839, m September, and Grandfather Lust died in the year 1840, in 
February, at the age of sixty-six years. 

Conrad Lust, who was the father of the subject of this sketch, was mar- 
ried to Magdelena Myers, who was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, 
in May, 1820. He had eight hundred acres of land, in different places of 
the county and state. In politics he had been in sympathy with the Demo- 
cratic party, but was never a politician, and through all his life he was a mem- 
ber of the Evangelical Pietist church. He died in February, 1876, at the age 
of sixty-four years, and his wife Magdalena died in September, 1893, aged 
seventy-three years. Frederig Lust, the uncle of our subject, was a most 
powerful preacher, with but a rare equal, in spite of all his very limited edu- 
cation. He also was the founder of the so called Lust church in Chatfield. 
He departed this life in December, 1882, at the age of sixty-nine years. 

Who would not look down with a flood of tears, as tears trickle down 
from the children's eyes, upon the graves of their grandparents, so beloved: — 
fathers and mothers who are now mingled with the dust of the earth, in the 
silent shade of death, after so many struggles, with hardship, penury and so 
many thousands of evils full of trials? Grandfather John David Lust. Gott- 
leib, Conrad, and Rev. Frederig Lust, and Elizabeth (Jacoby) Lust, are all 
at rest in the Lust cemetery in Chatfield township. 

Rev. Israel Lust, who is the highly esteemed subject of this review, was 
reared amid pioneer surroundings His educational advantages were limited, 
having only about three hundred and fifty days of schooling, scattered over 
ten years, introducing him only to primary studies and fostering a love for 
books, which he has never outgrown. In May, 1865, he was married to Miss 
Magdalena Crum, who was a native of Chatfield township. After this event 
Mr. and Mrs. Lust located on the farm now owned in Todd township which 
was given him by his father, and cleared about one hundred acres of dense tim- 
ber, and this is cultivated by our subject. The estate now comprises one 
hundred and forty-six acres, as Mr. Lust has added other land by later pur- 
chases. He also became the owner of five hundred acres of land in Allen 
county, Kansas, which he mostly deeded to his children, — Jessias, Magdalena, 
Frank and Wesly. To the first marriage of our subject one child was born, 
Jessias, now a resident of Allen county, Kansas. Mrs. Lust departed this 
life in January, 1867. 

In the following year our subject was united, in marriage to Mrs. Mary 
Linn, who was the widow of William Linn, formerly a Miss Seibert, who died 
on September 8, 1881. Seven children were born to this union, these being: 



510 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Magdalena, deceased; Benjamin Franklin, of Allen county, Kansas; Samuel 
Wesley, of Allen county, Kansas; Catherine E., at home; Sarah, the wife of 
George Cooper, of Shelby, Ohio ; Clements, at home ; and Mary, the wife of 
Roassle Winger, of Marion county. 

Mr. Lust has been one of the successful and prosperous farmers of the 
count}-. He was reared in the Democratic party, but in late years has taken 
no active interest in politics. For nineteen years he has been a preacher in the 
Evangelical Pietist church and also nine years in the Crawford County In- 
firmary, and during this time he has covered fully twelve thousand miles, driv- 
ing to and fro over the country, answering the calls of duty, ministering to the 
sick in body and mind and working faithfully in the Master's vineyard. His 
faithful horse Cole, which has carried him so far, often through storm and 
cold, still stands in his stable, cared for with the affection its long service has oc- 
casioned. Mr. Lust is known to the religious-reading public, especially in 
his own church, through three published volumes of his writings, under the 
title of "Exhortations and Edifications of Israel Lust," and the fourth volume 
is ready for the press. Mr. Lust has bound over two thousand volumes of these 
books himself, the latter work reflecting great credit upon his artistic skill, as 
he never served any apprenticeship in it. They are filled with good advice, 
moral teachings, and no reader could doubt that they came from the pen of a 
deeply and truly religious man. In arranging all the writings of Rev. Israel 
Lust up to this date, 1901, in a line it would make a continuous line of not less 
than ten miles. 

DAVID LUST. 

The career of no man in Crawford county, Ohio, more forcibly illustrates 
the value of industry and integrity than that of David Lust, of Lykens town- 
ship. Mr. Lust is a native of Ohio, and was born in Marion county, October 
26, 1828, a son of Jacob and Mary (Stoneman) Lust. Jacob Lust and his 
wife both died in 1829, and their son Jacob, their only other child except the 
subject of this sketch, is also dead. David was reared by his grandfather 
Lust and began active life by working on farms in Chatfield township, Craw- 
lord county. After working by the month for four years he located on his 
present farm of one hundred and sixty acres. He now owns another farm of 
one hundred and forty-two acres and another of eighty acres, his land aggre- 
gating three hundred and eighty-two acres. He has acquired this fine prop- 
erty by industry and good business management, and those who know him best 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 51s 

rejoice with him most in his worldly success. Politically he is a Democrat. 
A friend of public education, he has devoted himself to the development of 
"good schools in the township, and has rilled the office of school director for 
thirty years. Ohio's present admirable school system had not been developed 
when he was in his youth, and, remembering" that he was obliged to be satis- 
lied with a scanty education obtained in subscripts n schools taught in a log 
school house, he has done everything in his power to give improved educational 
facilities to each successive generation of children in his township. He is a 
member of the German Methodist church, in which he has for many years 
held the office of trustee and in which he was treasurer when its house of wor- 
ship was erected in Liberty township. 

April 6, 1854, Mr. Lust married Catherine Yeiter, who has borne him ten 
children, all of whom are living, and they have twenty-two grandchildren. 
Their son Jacob lives in Holmes township, Crawford county. Their daughter 
Elizabeth married William Heaver, of Libert}- township, Crawford o imty. 
Their son Simon lives in Liberty township. Ther daughter Marian married 
Philip Cook and lives in Whetstone township, Crawford county. Their son 
Noah lives in the township last mentioned. Sarah is the wife of William Hay- 
den, of Morrow county, Ohio. Wesley lives in Holmes township, Crawford 
count}-. Lydia married Isaac Stump and is a member of her father's house- 
hold. Their son Abraham is a farmer in Holmes township, Crawford county. 
Their son Amos lives in Lykens township. 

HARVEY CLOSE. 

Harvey Close, of Texas township, Crawford county, Ohio, is a Si 
Nelson and Elizabeth (Bender) Close, and was born at the old home of the 
family in Texas township, March 31, 1858. Nelson Close, who was a promi- 
nent citizen of Texas township, was born in the Empire state in 1818, and died 
at his Ohio home April 25, 1874. By his wife, Elizabeth Bender, who is still 
living, he had children as follows: Mary, who married Michael Davis and 
lives in Nebraska : Gei irge, who owns a part of his father's old homestead : Han- 
nah, who is dead ; Ella, who lives in Texas township ; Harvey, who is the imme- 
diate subject of this sketch : Adelbert, who is dead ; and Alta, who married Rob- 
ert 1'orbet and lives in Holmes county, Ohio. Mr. Close was a member of the 
Lutheran church, in which his widow is also a communicant. The latter 
taught a subscription school in a log building at Benton in her young woman- 
hood. 



512 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

The subject of this sketch was educated in the common schools near his 
home and for a time was a student at the Normal School at Fostoria, Seneca 
county, Ohio, and finished his studies at Ada, Hardin county, this state. He 
began active life as a school-teacher at the age of eighteen years, and from that 
time on for twelve years he taught school every winter, giving his attention to 
farming during the spring, summer and fall months. Since 1888 he has de- 
voted himself exclusively to farming. He is the owner of ninety acres of fer- 
tile land, which he has improved and placed under cultivation and which he has 
furnished with a good house, large barns and graneries and all essential out- 
houses. He gives his attention to general farming and stock-raising and makes 
a specialty of strawberries, to which he devotes about three acres of land and 
of which he sold four hundred ami seventy-five bushels in 1901. 

Mr. Close was married March 21, 1883, to Miss Lizzie Fleming, and 
they have two children: Iva, aged seventeen; and Charles, aged eleven years. 
Mr. Close is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he fills 
the office of steward. In politics he is a Democrat, and he exerts a recognized 
influence upon local affairs. He circulated the petition for the postoffice of 
the village of Plankton and conferred upon the locality the name by which it 
has become known. He was first elected to the office of justice of the peace in 
1880, and by repeated re-election he has served in that office since except during 
four years. In 1890 he was elected to the office of land appraiser. The 
public schools of the township have always been very close to his heart, and he 
has, by suggestion and otherwise, been instrumental in broadening their scope 
and in increasing their efficiency. His long experience in the school-room gave 
him a practical and technical knowledge necessary to such service, and he has 
been an adviser both to teachers and directors, whose opinion has been often 
sought and has always been held valuable. 

WILLIAM C. SEELE. 

Among the progressive, energetic and successful young farmer-citizens of 
Holmes township, Crawford county, is William C. Seele, who' has been promi- 
nently identified with the public affairs of the county for some years. The birth 
of Mr Seele occurred August 6, 1863, on the farm which he now occupies. His 
parents were Emil and Catherine (Spade) Seele, the former of whom was born 
in W T urtemberg, Germany, on March 31, 1823. He came to< America with his 
parents in 1840. They located in Lykens township and remained there all 
their lives. Emil Seele learned the trade of shoemaker and folio-wed it for some 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 5*3 

years, in connection with his farming operations. After several years of resi- 
dence in this county, he purchased our subject's present farm, then consisting 
of sixty-three and one-fourth acres, and there he lived until within a short time 
of his death, when he went to reside with his son Albert. Emil Seele was well 
known through Crawford county, and held the offices of constable and super- 
visor. In politics he was a Democrat. Eight children were born to him and 
wife, and all of these survive, viz. : Melinda, the wife of Charles Gersten- 
berger, of Chatfield township; Edward, of this township: Matilda, the wife of 
Abraham Ditty, of this township; Dellmor, of Broken Sword; Albert, of Bu- 
cyrus township; Celesta, the wife of Daniel Smith, of Bucyrus ; William C. ; 
and Charles Wesly, of Cleveland, Ohio. 

William C. Steele grew up and attended the common schools in his district, 
supplementing his primary education by attendance upon the sessions of both 
the Normal College at Ada, and at Xew Washington, in 1882, beginning his 
successful career as a teacher. For twelve terms he efficiently taught in the pub- 
lic schools through Lykens and Holmes townships, becoming well and favora- 
bly known through the county thus early in life. In 1893 he was united in mar- 
ri age of Miss Metta Margraff, who was a native of Lykens township and was 
the daughter of Charles and Leah (Miller) Margraff. Mr. Margraff was a 
German and came with his family to Ohio from Pennsylvania. 

AYhile still a teacher, our subject occupied his summers in Cleveland. Ohio, 
working in the ice business, and thus earned enough to enable him to purchase 
a farm from his father in the year prior to his marriage, and he located upon 
it at that time. Although he is interested in agricultural matters, he has taken 
a very active part in public affairs. For two years he was township 
clerk on the Democratic ticket, and was re-elected for a second term, de- 
declining then to serve longer. His next position of trust was that of township 
treasurer, and as such he is now serving his sea aid term. During the administra- 
tion of President Cleveland he was appointed postmaster of Broken Sword, 
and served faithfully for two years. Although something of a politician and 
a man of influence, he has never sought the offices he has so honorably held, 
they having been secured for him by his friends. He is. one of the progressive 
men who are invaluable in a community, has been a member of the school board 
and is a friend of all educational advancement in the county. Fraternally he 
is connected with the Court Broken Sword. No. X^[). Independent Order of 
Foresters, of which he has been recording secretary for the past two years ; 
also is a member of Broken Sword Tent, No. 123. Knights of the Maccabees, 
and is keeper of the records and finances; and is a member of Broken Sword 



514 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Grange, No. 1487, P. of H., in which he has been secretary, then overseer and 
at present is the master of the lodge. His ability is recognized in this com- 
munity and he is justly regarded as one of the representative men of Crawford 

county. 

JACOB RANCK. 

Crawford county, Ohio, has many citizens of Pennsylvanian descent who 
as farmers and in business life have ably demonstrated the potency of the Penn- 
sylvania Dutch blood in the work of enlightenment and progress. Prominent 
ami nig such citizens is Jacob Ranck. who was born in Texas township, in 1843, 
and ir. at this time a prosperous citizen there. 

Jacob Ranck is a son of David Ranck, a native of Lancaster county, Penn- 
sylvania, who settled in Wyandot county, Ohio, in 1829, whence he removed in 
1836 to Texas township, Crawford county, on government land upon which he 
had hied a claim two years previously. The tract consisted of one hundred and 
ninety-four acres and was heavily timbered. He erected a log cabin, contain- 
ing ore room, into which he moved his family, then began in earnest the work 
of clearing and improving his land. He died there in 1865, at the age of sixty- 
three years. He married Frances Betzer, and they had three sons and eight 
daughters, and ten of their eleven children are now living. 

All three of their sons fought for the flag of their country in the Civil 
war. Jacob and Lewis C. in Company H, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regi- 
ment, Ohio- Volunteer Infantry, from August 19, 1862, until the close of the 
war. and Ephraim in the One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Regiment, Ohio Vol- 
unteer Infantry, in the one hundred days' service. Jacob and Lewis saw their 
first experience of battle at Winchester, June 15th, 1863, where thev were made 
prisoners of war and taken to Libby prison. After two' days' confinement they 
were transferred to the Belle Isle prison. Nineteen days later Jacob Ranck was 
paroled and went to Annapolis, Maryland, whence after a short time he went 
home on parole. Eventually he rejoined his regiment at Martinsburg, West 
Virginia. The regiment did guard duty for several months. Its next fighting 
was at Newmarket, and after that engagement it retreated to Cedar Creek, 
where General David Hunter was put in command, and on the 26th of May thev 
again advanced through Newmarket and on to Piedmont, June 5. where they 
again had a severe engagement with the enemy, under command of General 
W. E. Jones. June 6 they took possession of Staunton without further opposi- 
tion ; and after destroying thousands of dollars' worth of Confederate govern- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 515 

ment property, they again advanced to Lexington, where they defeated Mc- 
Causland, and after destroying considerable Confederate property and Gover- 
nor Letcher's residence, they again moved on to Lynchburg, where they again 
met the enemy, under Early, June 18. Finding the enemy too strong, they be- 
gan their retreat during the night of June 18, by the way of Salem through 
Buford's Gap, and on to Gauley Bridge, arriving at Parkersburg, July 5, and at 
Martinsburg July 10, having marched eight hundred miles from the 2d day of 
May, 1864, till the 10th day of July, following. During July, 1864, it had a num- 
ber of engagements at Snicker's Gay, July 17, at Kernstown, July 23, and at 
Winchester, July 24. September 2d the regiment fought at Berryville; at Ope- 
quan under General Sheridan, September 19 ; at the battle of Fisher's Hill, Sep- 
tember 22; and at the battle of Cedar Creek, October 19, all in 1864. It was 
then transferred to the Army of the James, under the command of General 
Gram, and was for some time stati< ued at Camp Holley, at Deep Bottom. After 
that, under the command of ( reneral Ord it assisted in trie' capture of Petersburg 
and Richmond. After the fall of Richmond, with the Fifty-fourth Pennsyl- 
vania, it was detailed to burn the bridge across the river over which it was be- 
lieved Lee intended to escape. The movement was not successful, and Mr. 
Ranck was made a prisoner of war April 6, and was so i held with Lee's com- 
mand at the time of Lee's surrender. His faithful service was recognized 
by promotion to the office of corporal. Lie received only one wound during the 
entire term of his service, and that was a slight one, occasioned by the. concus- 
sion of a spent ball. 

At the end of his memorable experience as a soldier, Air. Ranck returned 
to' Texas township, Crawford county, Ohio, and soon afterward went to Wy- 
andot county, Ohio, where for five years he farmed on rented land. At the ex- 
piration of that time he bought eight}- acres there, on which he lived two years. 
He then bought one hundred and thirty-six acres of land in Antrim township, 
Wyandot county, where he followed agriculture until 1885, when he moved to 
his present farm in Texas township. He owns seventy-eight acres of well im- 
proved land and gives his attention to general farming. 

He affiliates with the Republican party and has held the office of town- 
ship clerk in Texas township for one year, and while a resident of Wyandot 
county he filled the office of assessor of Antrim township for four years. 

Lie was married February 2/. 1868. to Miss Caroline Gottier, and they 
have three children, — Jesse G., a farmer in Texas township; Ida B., who was 
married to Melville C. Hudle; and Clara L., who is the wife of Howard J. 
Miller. 



516 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ranck are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, 
careful in their adherence to all its requirements, and are liberal sup- 
porters of its various interests ; and Mr. Ranck is a man of decided public spirit 
who aids to the extent of his ability any movement which in his good judgment 
promises to benefit any considerable number of his fellow citizens. He is a 
quiet and unostentatious man, who speaks little of his own good deeds, but 
who :s known as a good neighbor of most generous sympathies, who has more 
than once proven himself a friend in the hour of need. Mrs. Ranck is a wo- 
man of many virtues, who is known as a model wife and mother and who has 
been a most worthy helpmeet to her husband and a power for good among those 
with whom she has associated. 

FRANK McVAY VIRTUE, M. D. 

No history of Crawford county would be complete without the mention, 
in connection with professional interests, of Dr. F. M. Virtue, who has gained 
a very creditable standing as a representative of the medical fraternity. He 
engages in practice in Sulphur Spring's and the surrounding country, and his 
marked ability and the confidence reposed in his skill are indicated by the 
liberal and constantly increasing patronage which is accorded him. 

The Doctor was born in Morrow county, Ohio, September 5, 1863, and 
comes from sturdy Irish ancestry. His paternal great-grandfather, Robert 
Virtue, was a weaver by trade, learning that pursuit on the Emerald Isle, 
where his birth occurred. On coming to America he located near Wheeling, 
Virginia, where he took up his abode upon a farm and remained there for 
several years. He then removed to Guernsey county, Ohio, where he spent 
his last days. His son, Robert Virtue, Jr., the grandfather, was also born 
in Ireland, and was a little lad when with his parents he came to the new 
world. He was largely reared in Guernsey county, Ohio, and after his mar- 
riage he removed to Morrow county, where he carried on agricultural pur- 
suits until his life's labors were ended in death. His son, Samuel Virtue, the 
Doctor's father, was reared on the old homestead in Morrow county, but was 
born in Guernsey county, Ohio, October 3, 1S4T. The work of the farm be- 
came familiar to him in his youth, and the occupation to which he was reared 
he followed for a period of several years. After he had arrived at years of 
maturity he married Miss Jane McVay, who was born in Morrow county, in 
1844, and was of Scotch descent, her grandparents on both sides of the family 
bavins: come to the new world from Scotland. After his marriage Samuel 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 517 

Virtue purchased a farm near Chesterville. Particularly successful in cur- 
ing diseases of horses, his neighbors frequently seeking his services in that 
regard, he determined to buy a library and inform himself thoroughly con- 
cerning veterinary surgery and enter that profession, which he practiced for 
many years, while still on the farm. His business, however, became so ex- 
tensive that he removed to Iberia, where he practiced his profession for ten 
years and then went to Mt. Gilead, where he has engaged in the practice of 
veterinary surgery during the past twelve years, and for four years his 
son, Charles E., has been in partnership with him. Samuel and Jane Virtue 
became the parents of four children, namely: Frank M. ; Charles E., a vet- 
erinary surgeon of Mt. Gilead ; Delphus B., a medical practitioner of Iberia ; 
and Maggie, the wife of David Douglas, of Iberia. 

Dr. Virtue, whose name introduces this record, spent the first thirteen 
years of his life at home un a farm and then began earning his own living 
as a farm hand, working for six consecutive summers on three adjoining- 
farms. In the winter he attended school, and at the age of eighteen, having 
acquired a broad general knowledge, he began teaching. Desiring to still 
further perfect his education, he afterward entered the Ohio Central College, 
at Iberia. He followed teaching through four school years, and in the spring 
of 1883 he began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. W. C. Bennett, 
of Iberia. In the fall of 1884 he entered the Western Reserve University, of 
Cleveland, Ohio, where he was graduated on the 9th of March, 1887. On 
the 18th of April, following, he located in Sulphur Springs, in the office va- 
cated by Dr. M. M. Carrothers, and in the fourteen years which have come 
and gone he has built up a remunerative and greatly increasing practice. His 
time is occupied by his professional duties almost day and night, showing 
the wide-felt confidence which the public has in his ability. 

On the 20th of October, 18S7, the Doctor was united in marriage to Miss 
Lue Hall, a native of Iberia, Morrow county, and a daughter of Isaac and 
Eliza Hall. Five children have been born of this union, all sons, namely: 
Vance McVay, Cecil R., Ivan V., Samuel F. and Robert M. 

The Doctor is unfaltering in his support of Republican principles and 
does all in his power to promote the growth and insure the success of his 
party. For the past nine years he has been a member of the school board, and 
has also been treasurer of his district. The cause of education finds in him a 
warm friend, true in his allegiance to its best interests. He and his wife are 
members of the Hope Reformed church, with which they united in 1888, 
and for four years he held the office of elder. He likewise belongs to Liberty 

28 



518 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Lodge, No. 845, Knights of Honor, in which he is past dictator, and is also 
a member of Sulphur Springs Tent, No 298, K O. T. M. Of both societies 
he is examining physician. He belongs to the Northwestern Ohio Medical 
Society, and through his connection therewith, as well as by constant reading 
and study, he keeps himself in touch with the progress that is constantly being- 
made in the medical fraternity. 

LYSANDER M. WALLER. 

Lvsander Milton Waller was a man of prominence and influence. He was 
"born in Chautauqua county. New York, July 20, 1827, and died at his farm 
residence in Lykens township. Crawford county, Ohio, on the 17th of April, 
1892. He was a leading factor in agricultural circles in the county for many 
years, and was respected and honored by a wide circle of acquaintances. 

His father, Milton Waller, was a native of Washington county. New 
York, and a cooper by trade. His mother's maiden name was Polly Coon. 
These parents had six children, as follows: Lysander Milton, our subject; 
Helen, deceased; Stephen, farmer of Lykens township; Comfort B., of Bowl- 
ing- Green, Ohio; Sarah A., deceased; and Sophia, wife of Cornelius Swalley, 
of Lykens township. In 1833 the father came by team to Ohio and for fifteen 
months resided in Seneca county, but in the year of his arrival in the state 
he entered eighty acres of land, constituting a part of the farm which was the 
home of our subject and took up his abode thereon in 1834. Of round logs 
he built a little cabin of one room in the midst of the heavy timber, and there 
began the difficult task of clearing the fields and preparing them for the plow. 
He continued farming throughout his active business career and died on the 
old family homestead in Lykens township, in February, 1880, when seventy- 
three years of age. He served as clerk and trustee of his township and was an 
active factor in public affairs, leaving the impress on his individuality for good 
upon the substantial development of the state. He aided in laying out roads, 
building schools and materially assisted in the work of progress and improve- 
ment. In politics he was a Democrat. His wife was called to her final rest in 
1872. 

Mr. Waller, of this review, was a lad of six years of age when brought 
by his parents to the home farm in Crawford county. He aided his father in 
clearing the land and cultivating the fields, and throughout life followed the 
occupation to which he had been reared. He was an energetic and enterprising 
farmer and good crops rewarded his industry. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 519 

As a companion and helpmate for the journey of life Mr. Waller chose, 
in 1848, Miss Arietta Cory, who died in 185 1. leaving a daughter named Ar- 
della. now the wife of Frank La Rue, of Lykens township. In 1859 ^ ir - Waller 
again married. Miss Anna Jane Yingiing, a daughter of Jonas and Alary 
(Thomas) Yingiing. becoming his wife. She was born in Chatfield township. 
Crawford county, Ohio, and her father was a native of Pennsylvania, of Ger- 
man descent, while the mother was a native of Wales. Her parents were mar- 
ried in Pennsylvania and became early settlers of Chatfield township. Unto the 
second marriage of our subject one child was born — a daughter, Amy Sophia, 
who died in infancy. Mr. Waller was a Democrat in politics, served as count y 
commissioner two terms, and also as township clerk. He was a member of the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was a most excellent citizen, an en- 
terprising and successful farmer, a true friend, a faithful husband and kind 
father. 

AUGUST MARQUART. 

August Marquart, who owns and operates one hundred and sixty acres 
of land in Cranberry township, was born on the 31st of July, 1856, on the 
farm in this township, which is now occupied by his father, Michael Alar- 
quart, one of the honored pioneer settlers and representative men of the com- 
munity. The days of his childhood and youth were passed in a manner similar 
to that in which most farmer boys spend their time. He attended the public 
schools, worked in the fields and at the age of nineteen entered upon an inde- 
pendent business career, renting and cultivating the Kline farm of one hundred 
and fourteen acres. 

On the 23d of September, 1880. August Marquart led to the marriage 
altar Miss Mary J. Tilton, a native of Cranberry township and a daughter of 
Arthur Tilton and thus he secured for the journey of life a faithful companion 
and helpmeet. Her father was one of the early settlers of Crawford county, 
Ohio, having come to this state from Pennsylvania, where his birth occurred. 
After his marriage Mr. Marquart engaged in farming upon the old home- 
stead l< ir two years and then assumed the management of the farm upon which 
he now resides, a tract of eighty acres. In addition to this he and his brother 
Jefferson two years later began cultivating the home farm on the shares. 
Subsequently the}- dissolved partnership and Mr. Marquart, of this review, 
engaged in the further development of his eighty-acre farm and also carried 
on the greater portion of the home farm. About 1888. however, he abandoned 



520 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

his work upon the home place and rented the Kappus farm of one hundred and 
forty-five acres, continuing on that place for two years. During the succeeding 
two years he cultivated his eighty-acre place and also rented some fields of the 
home farm. In early life, beginning in his nineteenth year, he operated a 
threshing machine, continuing that business for three years. In 1892 he in- 
vested his earnings in forty acres of the old William Anderson farm and three 
years later he purchased another forty-acre tract of the same farm. In 1900 
he bought eighty acres adjoining so that he now has a quarter section of land. 
His place is a desirable one, for the soil is rich and alluvial and yields good 
crops in return for his labor. Upon the place is seen substantial buildings 
and the latest improved machinery and all modern accessories and the owner 
is regarded as one of the enterprising agriculturists of his community. 

The marriage of Air. and Mrs. Marquart has been blessed with seven 
children: Ida, now the wife of Perry Musselman, of Cranberry township; 
Minnie, Elmer, Ora, Emma, Arthur and Lillie, all at home. The parents 
hold membership in the Lutheran church and for six years Mr. Marquart 
has served as one of its trustees. In politics he is not bound by party ties. 
He believes, however, in clean politics and supports the men whom he thinks 
will most honorably and ably discharge the duties of office. He is one of the 
progressive and enterprising agriculturists of Crawford county, is a public- 
spirited man who supports all church and charitable work and co-operates in 
every movement for the general good. 

WILLIAM S. NICHOLLS. 

In the parish of St. Teath, County of Cornwall, England, William S. 
Nicholls was born, on the 25th day of December, 1855. His parents were Will- 
iam and Hannah (Lobb) Nicholls. His mother and also an infant brother 
( John Francis ) died when William S. was eighteen months old, and thus very 
early in life he was deprived of the tender care and nurture of a mother. When 
six years of age he went to live with his maternal grandparents, Francis and 
Mary Lobb, and with them made his home until he was twelve years of age; 
then ( 1867) his father removed to Plymouth, Devonshire, taking his son with 
him. Here our subject completed a common school education m the public 
schools of the city. In 1871 he was bound as an apprentice to the woolen 
drapery or clothing business, for a term of three years. This contract was af- 
terward cancelled, for a consideration, in lieu of removal. In April, 1873, Mr. 
Nicholls, then seventeen years of age, left Plymouth and his native land in com- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOR) 521 

pany with friends with whom he had lived for six years, embarking- from Liv- 
erpool in the "S. S. Batavia," Cunard Line, for New York, in which city he 
landed on May 12th. Thence he proceeded to Cleveland, Ohio, the place of 
destination, arriving there May 15th. 

Soon after landing in the land of his adoption Mr. Xicholls engaged as a 
salesman in the clothing and merchant tailoring business of Henry Beckman, 
of Cleveland, and was thus employed for several years, subsequently accepting 
a position with E. R. Hull & Company, clothiers and furnishers, of Cleveland. 
In 1888 he removed from that city to Bucyrus, accepting a position as 
store keeper and shipping clerk for the Steam Shovel & Dredge Company at 
the latter city. With this concern he remained until it removed from Bucyrus 
to South Milwaukee, in 1893. In ^94 Mr. Nicholls accepted a position with 
The Hopley Printing Company, taking charge of the circulation of the Bucyrus 
Evening Telegraph, a position which he has since held. 

Soon after his arrival in this country Mr. Xicholls united, in 1874, with the 
Congregational church of Cleveland, and soon after coming to Bucyrus united 
by letter with the First Presbyterian church. He has long been an active 
worker for the church, and is now the official superintendent of the Sunday- 
school of his church. 

He was united in marriage to Miss Emma L. Aumiller, September 30, 
1 89 1. Mr. and Mrs. Xicholls have a bright and entertaining little daughter, 
Nellie Mabel, now six years of age. Mrs. Xicholls is a daughter of Daniel and 
Sarah (Boyer) Aumiller, and was born and reared in Crawford county. She, 
to,,, is a member of the First Presbyterian church, and is reckoned among the 
active and leading church workers. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholls enjoy most pleas- 
ont social relations, and their home is well known because of its generous hos- 
pitality. Her father was a worthy and well known pioneer of the county, and 
resided within its borders for over fifty-four years. He was a native of Union 
county, Pennsylvania, born October 16, 1809, and when nineteen years of age, 
in 1828, came by way of wagon with an elder brother and the brother's fam- 
ily to Crawford county. His brother settled on a farm one mile northwest of 
Bucyrus, and they cut through the dense forest a road to the farm, this road 
being the first one in that direction from Bucyrus. In 1836 Daniel Aumiller 
married Sarah Boyer, and immediately afterward entered from the general 
government a tract of land lying about two miles west of Bucyrus. On the 
land he built a rude log house in the woods, haunted by the wild beasts and the 
scarcely less wild Indians. On this farm Mr. Aumiller continued to reside the 
rest of his days ; and farming was his life pursuit. He and his wife, in an early 



522 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

day, were members of the Evangelical church, which was weak numerically 
and died not flourish. He was noted for his strict integrity and probity of 
character. His death occurred February 8, 1882. His good wife survived him 
many years, dying February 26. 1898. in Bucyrus, to which city she removed 
about six years prior to her death. She, too, was a native of Union county, 
Pennsylvania, born February 18, 181 7, and was a daughter of John and Bar- 
bara Bover. She came to Crawford county in 1828 with her mother and step- 
father, and ever afterward made her home in the county, and so was a resident 
of the county for a period of seventy years. She bore her husband eleven chil- 
dren, four sons and seven daughters, all of whom lived to years of maturity, 
four now being deceased. The father was of French Huguenot descent, while 
the mother was of German lineage. The farm on which they settled, as stated, 
had already been entered by Mr. Aumiller from the government, and it has 
never passed out of the hands of the family, now being owned by Airs. Nicln ills 
and a sister. For many years Mrs. Miller was a consistent Christian, a member 
of the Lutheran church. She possessed many sterling qualities of heart and 
mind and was universally beloved. 

MADISOX PRICE. 

Madison Price, a pioneer conductor of the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chi- 
cago Railroad residing at Crestline, was born in Holmes county, Ohio, March 
21, 1845. His father, Wiliam Price, was also a native of that county, hern in 
181 7, and was a farmer by occupation. In 1849, accompanied by four of his 
brothers, he joined the California Argonauts, who, in search of the gold fields, 
traveled across the plains to the Pacific coast. In 1852 he returned eastward 
and died the same year in Holmes county, Ohio. His wife was Catherine 
De Belle Woods, the widow of Hugh Woods. She was born in Virginia, in 
1820, and at an early age was brought by her parents to Ohio. Her death 
occurred at Shreve, Holmes county, this state, in January, 1901. This worthy 
c< tuple were the parents of five children, two sons and three daughters, namely : 
Winifred, Louisa, Madison, Joseph D. and Adelia, all natives of Holmes 
ci iiinty. 

The snbject of this review was the eldest son and third child. He was 
burn in a log cabin and pursued his education in a log schoolhouse. At the 
age of twelve years he went to Wayne county to live with his uncle, the Rev. 
Hugh Price, a minister of the Disciple church, who resided upon a farm. At 
the age of eighteen years he enlisted in response to the country's call for aid. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 523. 

becoming a member of the Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which 
he remained for six monuths and was then honorably discharged. In 1863, 
however, he re-enlisted, becoming a member of the One Hundred and Sixty- 
sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His regiment participated in the capture of 
Morgan and aided in the taking of Cumberland Gap. For about six months 
Air. Price was with the One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Ohio and then returned 
to his uncle's farm in Wayne county, this state. The following year he ac- 
cepted a position as brakeman on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Rail- 
road, was thus employed for about a year, after which he again took up his 
abode upon the farm and devoted his time to agricultural pursuits for four 
years, but in 1869 lie again entered the railroad service as a brakeman on the 
Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago railroad, serving in that capacity until 
1873, when he was promoted to conductor. His service with the road covers 
many years and indicates his close application and his faithfulness to his work. 
He is a very reliable railroad employe, enjoying the unqualified confidence and 
respect of his superiors and the warm regard of many of the patrons of the 
road. 

In 1868 Air. Price was united in marriage to Aliss Elizabeth Sigournev 
Mower, who was born near Mansfield, Richland county, Ohio, November 9, 
1848. Her father, John Mower, was born near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but 
in his young manhoi d removed to Richland county, Ohio, where he engaged 
in teaching and farming Later he was a justice of the peace. He was a 
devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church, though one of his grand- 
fathers, the Rev. Abram Crider, was one of the founders of the United Breth- 
ren church. He married Elizabeth Hartupee, who also was born in Pennsyl- 
vania, of parents of French Huguenot descent. One of her ancestors was an 
officer of the Revolution, and many of the family served in that war. Both 
of Mrs. Price's parents died when she was a child and she was reared and edu- 
cated by her grandparents. After attaining womanhood she gave her hand in 
marriage to Madison Price, the ceremony being performed by the Rev. T. K. 
Dissette. Three children graced their marriage: a daughter, who died in 
infancy; William Mower Price, born in Galion, Ohio, June 19, 1871 ; and 
Frank Carl Price, born in Crestline, Ohio. August 6, 1873. Both are grad- 
uates of the Crestline high school. The former is an engineer on the Penn- 
sylvania Railroad, and the latter is a machinist in the employ of the Big Four 
Railroad Company. 

Air. Price is a member of the Order of Railway Conductors, with which 
he has been connected for about seventeen years. In his political faith he has 



524 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

been a Republican since casting his first presidential vote for General Grant. 
Air. and Mrs. Price belong to the Methodist Episcopal church of Crestline, 
Ohio, where they reside in their own pleasant home. 

JOSEPH E. HALL. 

i 

Joseph Edward Hall is numbered among the native sons of the Buckeye 
state now actively connected with the business interests of Bucyrus and thus 
contributing to its welfare and growth while promoting his individual pros- 
perity. He was born in Ganges, Richland county, Ohio, and is a son of T. C. 
and Julia Hall. His father was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, June 13, 
1822, near Xew Garden, and in 1838 removed to Stark county, where he en- 
gaged in business as a dealer in harness and saddlery. He was there mar- 
ried and subsequently removed by wagon to Ganges, Richland county, where 
he was engaged in the dry-goods business in connection with Horace Lvbarger, 
the partnership being maintained until about 1852, when Mr. Hall disposed 
of his interest and removed to Crestline, where he took a contract for grading 
on the line of the Ohio & Indiana Railroad in connection with a Mr, Conover. 
This road is now known as the Pittsburg & Fort Wayne Railway. On the 
completion of the contract Air. Hall erected the first brick house in Crestline, 
now known as the Olive house, and into that he moved, keeping boarders there 
for some time. He was also proprietor of a dry-goods store and was prom- 
inent in public affairs, serving as postmaster and also filling the positions of 
township trustee and road supervisor. Soon afterward he became the pro- 
prietor of the Crestline House, which was the main hotel of the place. Later 
he sold that property but continued the dry-goods business for two or three 
years, when he came to Bucyrus and in connection with C. L. and A. D. Juil- 
liards he purchased the dry-goods business of Rupp, Fisher & Hall. The 
new firm was organized under the name of Hall & Juilliards, and this continued 
for some time. They built the west end of what is now known as the 
Ouimby block, into which they removed their stock of goods. At a later date 
C. L. Juilliards sold his interest in the business to T. C. Hall and A. D. Juil- 
liards. and the new firm carried on business for several years, when Mr. 
Juilliards sold out and P. Lewis and J. J. Fisher became partners of Air. Hall, 
under the firm style of Lewis, Fisher & Hall. Mr. Hall did not give much 
of his attention to merchandising, his time being devoted to farming, but 
ultimately he returned to Bucyrus and took charge of a mercantile enterprise 
under the firm name of T. C. Hall & Sons. He remained in the drv-goods 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 525 

business until 1874, when he engaged in contract work to construct the At- 
lantic & Lake Erie Railroad, which is now known as the Toledo & Ohio Cen- 
tral Road. The contracting firm was composed of B. B. McDonald, T. C. 
Hall, Horace Rouse, W. C. Lemert and J. G. Frayer. In his later years Mr. 
Hall retired from active business, merely supervising his farming interests 
while living in Bucyrus. 

Mr. Hall was united in marriage to Julia Juilliard, who was born near 
the city of Montpelier, France, May 24, 1822, and came with her parents to 
this country when about fourteen years of age, the family locating in Stark 
county, Ohio, upon a farm where the daughter remained until she gave her 
hand in marriage to T. C. Hall. For many years they traveled life's journey 
together but were separated by the death of her husband on the 6th of March, 
1896. He had contributed in large measure to the improvement, upbuilding 
and advancemnt of Ohio, leaving the impress of his forceful individuality 
upon many lines of progress. 

Joseph Edward Hall, whose name begins this review, acquired his early 
education in the schools of Bucyrus and afterward entered his father's store as 
a clerk, being employed in that capacity for six years, when he removed to 
Wyandot county, locating upon a farm. There he resided for three years, 
after which he took up his abode on the old Reed farm, near Bucyrus, where he 
remained until his removal to the city three years later. Again he entered the 
store, then conducted under the firm name of Louis Fisher & Hall, continuing 
with the firm for three or four years, when a change was made in the owner- 
ship, the new firm being Hall & Juilliard. After two years another change oc- 
curred, our subject becoming a partner in the enterprise under the firm name of 
T. C. Hall & Sons. He acted as buyer for the house and carried on the business 
under that style for three years, when Mr Hall sold cut to* Fisher Brothers and 
began the business of railroad contracting. His first contract was on the 
construction of the x\tlantic & Erie Railroad, now the Toledo & Ohio Central 
Railroad, and for three years he devoted his energies to that work. 

On once more returning to Bucyrus, Mr. Hall again entered the mer- 
cantile field, purchasing the dry-goods business of William Rouse & Son, 
which, he conducted under his own name and under his personal supervision 
for two and a half years, when he disposed of the store to J. M. Black & Com- 
pany. He next accepted a position at Moxahala, Ohio, as manager of a com- 
pany store and after acting in that capacity for two years he purchased the 
store, which he conducted for some time and then sold to the Moxahala Iron 
Company. He then took a contract for the construction of a part of the exten- 



526 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

sion of the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad Company, known as the Bucking- 
ham branch, and later returned to Bucyrus, where, in company with his broth- 
ers, L. C. and J- S. Hall, he purchased the dry-goods and grocery business of 
C. G. Malic, conducting the same for seven or eight years, when 'Sir. Hall, of 
this review, became the sole proprietor by purchasing his brothers' interests. 
He was then alone for three years, on the expiration of which period official 
duties claimed his attention, for he was specially appointed postmaster August 
8, 1898, by President McKinley and was regularly reappointed on the 24th of 
January, 1899, for a term of four years, so that he is the present incumbent. 
Air. Hall was united in marriage to Emma Caldwell, a daughter of Will- 
iam and Lizzie Caldwell. She was born near Bucyrus, acquired her educa- 
tion in the common schools of Crawford county, and on the 15th of De- 
cember, 1870, became the wife of Joseph E. Hall. They now have one 
• laughter, Xellie, who was born January 19, 1872, and has completed the 
educational course in the schools of this city, and is now the wife of W. A. 
Blicke, of Bucyrus. Mr. Hall holds membership in the Knights of Pythias, 
Royal Arcanum and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He has a 
wide acquaintance in this portion of Ohio, where his worth and ability are 
widely recognized, winning him the warm regard of his friends. 

HENRY BERG. 

Henry Berg is the superintendent of the Leesville Stone Company of Lees- 
ville Crossroads, and was born in Mansfield, Richland county, Ohio, January 
26, 1850. His father, Valentine Berg, was a native of Germany and, believing- 
that he might improve his financial condition in the new world, he crossed the 
Atlantic U> America when a young man, taking up his abode in Mansfield, 
where he died when his son Henry was but six years of age. His wife bore the 
maiden name of Mary Heis and she, too. was born in the fatherland, coming' 
to the United States when a maiden of six summers. She died when her son 
Henry was but three years old. He was the second child and eldest son born 
to his parents, and after his mother's death he was reared by his maternal 
grandfather, Henry Heis, who was one of the early settlers of Leesville. Henry 
Berg went to his home in 1862 and there he remained for about four years, af- 
ter which he lived with his uncle for about three years. He attended school 
at intervals until he was fourteen years of age, when he entered upon an ap- 
prenticeship to the shoemaker's trade under the direction of Hon. D. O. Cas- 
tle, now representative from the thirteenth district in congress. Mr. Berg 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 527 

served for three years and one month as an apprentice to the firm of Castle & 
Beach, and as a journeyman continued in their employ for two more years. He 
was afterward employed as a salesman in the store of Castle & Heckert, at 
Leesville, after which he began business on his own account. About a year 
later he entered into partnership with 1). O. Castle, which connection was 
maintained for about one year, when Mr. Castle was elected county recorder. 
He then worked in the recorder's office for fourteen months, after which he 
returned to Leesville and purchased the old Castle shop and homestead and 
again engaged in the shoe business, which he continued until the nth of June, 
1883. On that day he accepted the position of bookkeeper with the Leesville 
Stone Company. Recently he was appointed superintendent of the same, 
which position he has held since. 

In 1878 Mr. Berg was united in marriage to Miss Henrietta, daughter of 
Christian and Magdakna Huhn, early settlers of Crawford county, Ohio. Her 
father served in the army in America from 1861 to 1865. Mrs. Berg is the sec- 
ond of a family of three daughters and was reared and educated in Leesville. 
Both our subject and his wife hold membership in the English Lutheran church, 
and in politics he is a stalwart 1 )em< crat. being recognized as one of the leaders 
of his party. He has served as township clerk for five years, has been treasurer 
for ten years and is now the incumbent of that office. For about eight years 
he has been a member of the school board, and in all these positions has shown 
that the trust reposed in him is full}' merited. Whatever success he has 
achieved in life is due to his own efforts, resulting from his economy, industry 
and integrity. His career forcibly illustrates what may be accomplished by 
determination and energy in a land where all avenues are open and excellence 
is rewarded. 

FRANKLIN P. DICK. 

Among the best-known citizens of Crawford county, a leader in Demo- 
cratic political circles and prominent in township affairs, is the substantial 
farmer and stock-raiser. Franklin P. Dick, whose fine farm is located in Dallas 
township. 

The birth of Mr. Dick occurred in Cass township, Richland county, Ohio, 
on November 18, 1855, and he is a son of Jacob and Ann ( Bushey ) Dick, 
coming of old Dutch ancestry. Jacob Dick was born in Wayne county, Ohio, 
a son of George Dick, who settled in Richland county in 1832 and lived and 
died there. The father of our subject became 2. successful farmer, but died at 



528 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the age of forty years in Hancock county, his wife having died previously, in 
1862, in Richland county, when only twenty- four years old. The six children 
left by these parents are all living, namely : Franklin ; Mary Adam, of Shelby, 
Ohio; Minnie De Witt, of Auburn township, this county; Olive; Jennie Kime, 
of Blooming Grove township, Richland county; and Maggie Hassenger, of 
Auburn township, this count)-. 

From the age of fourteen years Mr. Dick has shaped his own career. 
He became motherless at the age of seven, and as his father kept the home 
intact by a second marriage, he remained until the death of this parent also, and 
then started out, his capital being his country-school education and his experi- 
ence of farm life. For thirteen years he found employment and a home with 
his uncle, Levi Dick, in Richland county. At the age of twenty-seven he mar- 
ried Miss Lovena Noecker, a native of Richland county, and a daughter of 
Benjamin and Lavina (Vanhorn) Noecker, early settlers of that county. 

After his marriage Mr. Dick settled on a farm near that upon which he 
now lives, in Dallas township, and for ten years he rented land. At the end 
of this period he had so prospered that he was prepared to purchase the one- 
hundred-acre farm he now occupies, and immediately set about its improve- 
ment. Mr. Dick is a progressive and enterprising farmer, and all of these 
improvements are in the best of style. He rebuilt his barn with an L-shaped 
basement, ninety by forty-two and thirty-two feet. Mr. Dick has made a 
success of general farming and usually feeds a large number of hogs. 

The four children born to Mr. and Mrs. Dick are Jesse J., Sarah May, 
Francis Alwilda and Ruth Columbia. Both he and wife are consistent mem- 
bers of the United Brethren church and are well and favorably known for their 
many kind and neighborly actions. As one of the leading Democrats in the 
county Mr. Dick has been identified with many party affairs, and for six years 
served as township trustee, being elected to the office again in 1901. As an 
energetic, liberal and enterprising citizen he is highly esteemed, and is a truly 
representative resident of Dallas township. 

JACOB H. SCHAEFFER. 

A splendid commentary on the desirability of residence in Crawford 
county is the fact that so many of its native sons have continued their residence 
from birth to the present time within its borders, becoming prominent as rep- 
resentatives of its business interests and carrying forward the work of improve- 
ment and advancement along many lines of progress. Such a one is Jacob H. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 529 

Schaeffer, who was born in Chatfield township, February 1, 1843, ^ ns parents 
being George and Anna (Capst) Schaeffer, both natives of Neabronn, Uhr- 
wirller, Alsace, France, the former born December 15, 181 5, and the latter Oc- 
tober 12, 1809. The paternal grandparents of our subject were John and 
Catherine (Zeider) Schaeffer. The grandfather was a tailor by trade, follow- 
ing that pursuit throughout the greater part of his business career. The ma- 
ternal grandparents were John and Margaret (Liever) Capst, who emigrated 
to America at an early day, settling in Cranberry township, Crawford county. 
George Schaeffer learned the tailor's trade with his father, but the work 
was distasteful to him and he never followed it as a vocation. Having heard 
excellent reports of the opportunities America afforded to her citizens, he de- 
termined to seek a home in the land of promise, and when eighteen years of age 
sailed for the new world. Upon landing in New York he at once resumed his 
journey, crossing the country, and on reaching Ohio took up his abode in Stark 
county, where he remained for two years, working by the day and month. He 
had saved about fifty dollars, when, in 1835, ne came to Crawford county and 
located forty acres of land in Chatfield township, which he had entered from 
the government the year previous while making a prospecting trip through 
this portion of the state. The land was covered with dense timber, but with 
characteristic energy he began to clear the place, and after cutting down some 
trees he erected a log cabin, in which he and his worthy wife began life in true 
pioneer style. They had to endure the hardships and difficulties which usually 
fall to the lot of frontier settlers. Their home, however, was for many years 
the best in the neighborhood. During the first year Mr. Schaeffer cleared and 
sow r ed three acres with wheat. The wolves and other wild beasts were very 
numerous in the neighborhood and were frequently in close proximity to the 
cabin. Money was an almost unknown medium of exchange in this part of the 
country, for the farmers received goods instead of coin for their product--. 
Their wants, however, were few, and when money became an absolute necessity 
Mr. Schaeffer would go many miles to obtain work on the canal or on other 
public works, and thus receive the money with which to purchase furniture 1 >r 
other equipments for the house. They lived frugally, but though their meals 
were of simple fare they were heartily relished, for labor gave a good appetite 
to those early settlers. The table was a rude one of his own construction and 
the chairs were merely slab stools. But this pioneer family was happy and 
murmured not over the hardships of their lot, hoping that in course of time 
the}- would be able to' have better advantages and enjoy more of the comforts 
of life. This hope was at length realized, and Mr. Schaeffer became one of 



530 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the well-to-do farmers of Chatfield township, where he continued the operation 
of his eighty acres of land, making his home thereon until 1893, when he took 
up his abode with his son Jacob, there spending the last few years of his life. 
He also owned the farm of seventy acres upon which our subject now resides. 
He was a consistent member of the Lutheran church from his fifteenth year, 
and his integrity, fidelity and uprightness won him the confidence and good 
will of many warm friends. He died July 27, 1895, and his wife passed away 
March 21, 1877. They were the parents of seven children, and all are yet liv- 
ing, namely: George, a resident of Perry county, Michigan; John A., who is 
living in Huntington county, Indiana; Elizabeth, the wife of Adam Donnen- 
wirth, of Cranberry township; Jacob H., of this review; Adam B., who is 
living on the old homestead in Chatfield township; Catherine A., wife of John 
C. Conklin, of Plymouth, Ohio; and Anna, wife of Henry Reichart, of New 
Washington. 

Amid the wild scenes of frontier life in the pioneer home Jacob H. 
Schaeffer spent the days of his youth. His education was obtained in a log 
school house, where the teaching was rather of a primitive order. He and his 
brothers could attend school only when the work of the farm was at low ebb, 
for their services were needed in reclaiming the wild land for the purposes of 
civilization. On reaching his majority Mr. Schaeffer went to Huntington 
county, Indiana, where for three years he worked as a farm hand, and on re- 
iurnmg home he and his brother Adam began the operation of his father's 
two farms, which they cultivated on the shares. After his marriage, which 
occurred in 1867, he settled with his bride upon one of his father's farms in 
Cranberry township, — the place upon which he is now living and which has 
since been his home. After his father's death he purchased this tract of land, 
and with marked energy and diligence has carried on the work of improvement 
and cultivation. His fields are well tilled, his buildings kept in good repair 
and everything about the place is neat and thrifty in appearance. 

On the 17th of September, 1867, Mr. Schaeffer was united in marriage 
to Miss Catherine Kieffer, a native of Lykens township and a daughter of 
Daniel and Barbara (Breitenbach ) Kieffer, both of whom were natives of Ger- 
man}-. Two children were born of this marriage: Frank A., who operates 
the old homestead; and Lovina E., who is with her father. On the 2d of July, 
1891. a cloud darkened the sunshine of this home, for the wife and mother was 
called to her final rest upon that day. Mr. Schaeffer is a worthy follower of 
the teachings of the German Lutheran church, in which he holds membership. 
He votes with the Democracy and keeps well informed on the issues of the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 531 

day, but has refused to accept all offices, save that he served for six years as 
school director. The cause of education finds in him a warm friend, and he is 
deeply interested in everything pertaining to the progress and improvement of 
his native county, in which he is uniformly regarded as a valued and enter- 
prising citizen. 

CHARLES A. LAUBACH. 

If all those qualities which constitute good character are essential to the 
man who would succeed in the city where to a considerable extent he is a 
stranger to those with whom he deals, how much more necessary are they to 
the man who would succeed in a country community where nearly every im- 
portant act of his life is known to every one with whom he associates. A city 
man may have a good reputation and not deserve it, but any man living in a 
country township or village who is known as a man of honor, with whom it 
is not only safe but desirable to have business relations, may be set down as 
richly deserving all the good things that are said about him. Such a man is 
Charles A. Laubach, of Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, some ac- 
count of whose in every way creditable career it is the intention of the editors 
to include in this work. 

Charles A. Laubach was horn near Allentown, Lehigh county, Pennsyl- 
vania, November 20, 1843, an d was educated in the public schools and reared 
to the hard but healthful and useful labors of the farm, which at the age of 
seventeen years he forsook to become a carpenter. A year later, when he was 
about eighteen years old, he went to Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, 
where for three years he worked as a carpenter as opportunity afforded. Being 
of an enterprising turn of mind and not wishing to pass his entire life as a 
hired hand, he then entered upon a career as contractor and builder, which, 
with few intervals, he has continued successfully to the present time. In 
1877 he assumed the management of a sawmill, which he soon purchased and 
has since owned. This business he has run in connection with his building 
operations, and for the past ten years in connection with building and farming, 
with considerable success. In 1891 he moved onto his farm of one hundred 
acres, where he has lived since that time. He does miscellaneous farming, and 
has shown himself to be as well informed and as resourceful as many older 
farmers in his community. 

June i, 1 86 1, Mr. Laubach married Rebecca Shook, who has borne him 
five children, who will be mentioned here in the order of their nativity. Their 



532 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

daughter Sarah married David Shock, of Seneca county, Ohio. Their daugh- 
ter Laura is the wife of John King, of the same county. Their son Alfred T. 
married Loretta Armitage and has managed his father's farm during recent 
years. Their daughter Celestia is a member of her parents' household. Their 
daughter Almeta is dead. 

Mr. Laubach is a Democrat in politics, but is not an active politician in the 
ordinary sense of the term ; but while he is not an office seeker and has refused 
most of the offices that have been offered to him, he served his fellow townsmen 
as justice of the peace for three years and as township trustee for six years, 
and his public spirit is so well developed that he aids to the extent of his ability 
every movement tending to the public good. He is a member of the German 
Reformed church and a liberal contributor toward the maintenance of all its 
interests. 

JAMES H. MALCOLM. 

Honored and respected by all, there is no man in Bucyrus who occupies 
a more enviable position than did James Llarvey Malcolm in industrial and 
financial circles, not alone on account of the brilliant success he achieved, but 
also on account of the honorable, straightforward business policy he ever 
followed. He posessed untiring energy, was quick of perception, formed 
his plans readily and was determined in their execution, and his close applica- 
tion tc business and his excellent managemen brought to him a high degree 
of prosperity, so' that he left his family in very comfortable circumstances. 

Mr. Malcolm was born in Marlboro, Ulster county, New York, Oc- 
tober 18, 1827, and was a son of James and Elizabeth (Hayne) Malcolm, 
who had four sons and seven daughters. The father died when our subject 
was only eight years of age. The Malcolm family is of Scotch origin and 
was founded in America by James Malcolm, Sr., the grandfather, who w T as 
born in Scotland, November 30, 1786, and was married there. While on the 
ocean en route for America their only child died, but during their residence 
in New York three other children were born to them. James Malcolm, Sr., 
served in the war of 181 2 and was aid-de-camp to General Winfield Scott at 
the battle of Lundy's Lane, while his son, James, was also a soldier in the 
same contest with Great Britain. There were a series of honorable titles 
in the old Scotch family and the Malcolms of America have ever been dis- 
tinguished for the sterling traits of their ancestors. 





/ /^^~£^_- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 535 

Owing to his father's death James Harvey Malcolm, of this review, was 
early thrown upon his own resources. His youth was spent upon a farm 
and he attended the district schools as he had opportunity, working in a mill 
morning's and evenings in order to pay his board. The persistence and de- 
termination of his Scotch ancestry were thus shown forth, and in later life 
enabled him to triumph over many obstacles. When he was sixteen years of 
age he began buying cattle for his brother, who was one of the first to 
slaughter cattle and send quartered beef down the Hudson river to the Xew 
York markets. After three years spent in that way he went to Xew York 
city and worked in the Washington market, engaging in selling beef by the 
quarter, and continuing in that business for five years, during which time, 
he formed the acquaintance of some leading stock-dealers of the Sandusky 
Plains, including the Monnetts. In 185 1 he went to California by the water 
route, being thirty-six days on the way, which was then considered a very 
quick trip. He purchased a tract of kind in the Santa Clara valley and for 
one year devoted his attention to the organization and conduct of a ranch, 
which he then sold for a fair profit. His next venture was on the great Vine 
ranch, twenty miles below Sacramento, where he gave his attention to the 
raising and marketing of vegetables. Frequent overflows, however, made 
the business too uncertain to suit him, and, disposing of his interests, he re- 
turned to New York in the winter of 1854. 

Again Mr. Malcolm engaged in the cattle business in his native county, 
but since the time when he had made the acquaintance of Crawford county- 
men several years before, he had been interested in this section of the country 
and in 1856 he carried out a long cherished desire of casting in his lot with 
the residents of this part of Ohio, lie soon engaged in buying and feeding; 
cattle, in partnership with George Roberts, which connection was maintained 
for three years. He next rented one of the Monnett farms, and later purchased 
three hundred and sixty acres, to which he afterward added three hundred 
acres. He engaged in farming on an extensive scale and his stock interests 
were equally important. He owned altogether eighteen hundred acres of land, 
having, as his financial resources increased, made judicious investments 
in real estate until his holdings were among the most extensive in this part 
of the state. He also was interested in the cattle business in Kansas, with his 
son-in-law. In all of his work he was progressive and energetic and his 
labors brought to him an excellent return. He always followed the most 
honorable and straightforward business methods, and over the record of his 
career there has never fallen the suspicion or shadow of wrong. 

29 



536 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

In 1878 he purchased a home on North Sandusky avenue, in Bucyrus, 
and located in the city for the convenience of his family, but continued his 
personal supervision of his farms, driving out nearly every day in all kinds 
of weather. After some vears' residence in the county he became the president 
< >f the Monnett Bank, and therein displayed his excellent business ability and 
keen discernment in his control of financial interests. He gained for the in- 
stitution a high reputation, which largely increased his patronage and made 
it one of the most reliable institutions in this part of the state. 

On the 4th of November, 1862, Mr. Malcolm was married to Miss Elsie 
M. Monnett, a daughter of Abraham Monnett, who was the president of the 
Second National Bank of Bucyrus, in which position he continued up to the 
time of his death He was also president of the Farmers' Bank at Marion. 
Unto Air. and Mrs. Malcolm were born the following children: Catherine 
E., is the wife of William Mitchell Aye, who formerly resided in Morrow 
county, but is now a resident of Manhattan. Kansas, in the vicinity of which 
citv he owns a very large ranch. They have one son, Malcolm. Gilbert 
Farris Malcolm, the second of the family, is residing upon a farm six miles 
south of Bucyrus. He married Miss Elizabeth Hineman, of Marion and they 
have two children — James Harvey and Catherine E. The third and youngest 
of the family is Elmira Ala}-, a graduate of the high school, now at home 
with her mother. The children were all provided with good educational 
advantages, and the son and both daughters attended the high school in Bu- 
cyrus. Air. Malcolm died June 1, [900, and thus the community lost a valu- 
able citizen, but the greatest loss was in his home, where he was ever a loving, 
considerate and devoted husband and father. In early life he was a member 
of the Methodist church, but after coming to Crawford count}- united with the 
Presbyterian church, of which his wife was a member. He took an active 
part in Christian work, contributed liberally to the support of various churches 
and was in earnest sympathy with all movements for Christian development. 
He took an active interest in public affairs pertaining to the general welfare, 
and co-operated in many movements for the public good. His success was 
the result of honest effort in the line of honorable and manly dealing. His 
aim was always to attain to the best, and he carried forward to successful 
completion whatever he undertook. His life marked a steady growth in ma- 
terial, intellectual and moral development, and he left to his family a hand- 
some fortune and an untarnished name, for his record is one above reproach. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 537 

JACOB MILLER. 

The well-known citizen of Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, 
whose name appears above and some account of whose busy career it will be 
attempted here to give, traces his ancestry to Germany. His father. Christian 
Miller, was born in the fatherland, in 1824, and acquired the usual public- 
school education given to youths in his native land. As soon as he left school 
he began an apprenticeship at the shoemaker's trade. Later he served four 
years in the German army. In 1849 ne came to America, making- the voyage 
on a sailing vessel, which landed in New York City fifty-five days after its 
departure from its German port. 

Going west as far as Ohio, Mr. Miller located at Republic. Seneca county, 
where he worked a year as a shoemaker. Removing then to Lykens township, 
Crawford count}-, he bought an acre of land, upon which he established a home 
and for five years carried on a shoemaking business. After that he bought 
eight}- acres of land near Lykens, where he farmed and worked at his trade for 
six years, until he bought his farm on which he died, October [3, 1879. His 
wife died February _>S, 1889, at the age of sixty-six years. They were mem- 
bers of the German Reformed church, and in politics Mr. Miller was a Demo- 
crat. "When he arrived in Ohio his cash capital consisted of fifty cents, but 
for some time before he died he was the owner of a fine farm of two hundred 
acres. In the best sense of that often-abused term he was a self-made man, 
and his character was such that he commanded the respect of all who knew 
him. He was the father of nine children, as follows: Jacob, who is the im- 
mediate subject of this sketch ; Catharine, who is the widow of Richard Dewalt, 
of Chatfield township ; Christian, w1k> lives in Texas township : John and Mary, 
who died in infancy; Lucy, who married Otto Weisenaure, of Lvkens town- 
ship; Sarah, who is the wife of William Kirges, of Seneca count}-; Henry D., 
pf Lykens township; and one who died in infancy. 

Jacob Miller was born in Bloom township, Seneca count}". August 9, 1840, 
and was a year old when his parents brought him to Lvkens township. He 
remained in his father's household assisting his father on his farm until he 
was twenty-two 1 years old. when he married Elizabeth Stuckey, daughter of 
Daniel Stuckey, by whom he has had four children, Charles F. ; Lola E., who 
married Loren Hufford, of Seneca county; Cora, who is at home: and Cath- 
arine E., who died in infancy. His wife died December 13, 1884. and he was 
married October 12, 1893, to Catharine Schaffer, who has borne him a daugh- 
ter named Mabel L. Miller. 



533 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

After his first marriage Mr. Miller removed to the farm on which he 
now lives, and for ten years he and his family lived in a building which he now 
uses as a cow stable. He owns one hundred and nineteen acres of good land,, 
one hundred acres of which is cleared, and he has improved the farm until it 
is one of the best in the vicinity. He is a member of the German Reformed 
church, which he has served faithfully in the office of trustee. Though not 
a politician in the accepted sense of the term, he is not without authority in the 
councils of the Democratic party, and has come to be known as a man of much, 
public spirit. 

JACOB SEERY. 

Although he has passed the Psalmist's span of three score years and ten, 
Jacob Seery is yet actively collected with agricultural pursuits, still managing 
his farming interests which throughout many years have brought to him a 
good return for his labor, making him one of the well-to-do citizens of Lykens 
township. He needs no introduction to the readers of this volume, for no 
representatives of the farming class in this county are more widely or favorably 
known than the Seery family, that was founded here in 1833, at which time 
Solomon Seen-, Sr., brought his wife and children to Lykens township. The 
subject of this sketch, then a youth of eight summers, was born in Ross county, 
Ohio, November 19, 1825, but was reared on the old family homestead here 
and pursued his education in a log school house, such as was common at that 
time. To his father he gave the benefit of his services until his marriage, when 
he began farming on his own account. 

On the 226. of January, 1852, Jacob Seery was united in marriage to Miss 
Lavina A. Cooiv, and their home was blessed with the presence of four children : 
Alvaro E., now deceased; De Forrest B., a resident farmer of Lykens town- 
ship; Lorenzo M. D., deceased; and Reno R., who is with his father and as- 
sists, him in the operation of the home farm. 

After his marriage Mr. Seery removed to the farm upon which he now 
resides, and it has, therefore, been his home for almost half a century. He 
has here one hundred and fifty-six acres of good land and owns elsewhere a 
valuable farm of eighty acres. He has cleared fifty acres of the home place 
and has made excellent improvements thereon, all of which stand as monu- 
ments to the enterprise and thrift of the owner. He is still managing the op- 
eration of his fields and the raising of stock, and his activity in business affairs 
at the age of seventy-six years should put to shame many a man who, grown 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 539 

weary of the burdens and responsibilities which he should bear, would relegate 
them to others. 

In his political views Mr. Seery is a stalwart Republican, and for three 
years he served as township trustee. During the Civil war he enlisted in the 
home guards for five years. In 1864 his regiment was called out, and as a pri- 
vate he went to the scene of conflict. He was mustered in at Camp Chase for 
one hundred days' service, and with his command went to the defense of Wash- 
ington, being stationed at Fort Worth, near Alexandria. He is now a mem- 
ber of Roberts Post, No. 672, G. A. R., of Poplar, and has served as senior 
vice commander. He has always been loyal to the best interests of citizenship, 
and has taken a deep and active interest in the upbuilding and progress of the 
•county, in which almost his entire life has been passed. 

CHARLES F. MARGRAFF. 

Charles F. Margraff, a well-known and highly esteemed resident of Ly- 
kens township, was born in Bucyrus, January 4, 1843, his parents being Will- 
iam H. and Wilhelmina (Reidel) Margraff. The father was a native of 
Saxony, Germany. In the family were nine children, as follows : Augusta, 
the widow of the Rev. Robert Graetz, of Bucyrus; Caroline, the widow of the 
Rev. August Michlalis, of Bucyrus: Emeline, deceased wife of John Linn; 
Bertha, the wife of John A. Schaber, of Bucyrus; Julia, who married Adam 
Augene, of Lykens township; Charles F. ; Lottie, the deceased wife of August 
Brause ; Sophia, the wife of Hiram Smith, of Bucyrus; and W'illiam H., of 
Fayette county, Iowa. The father was a shoemaker by trade, and in 1836 
came to America on a sailing vessel, arriving at Xew York City after a voyage 
of seven weeks. He thence made his way by water to Sandusky, and from 
there drove across the country with ox-teams to Bucyrus. Establishing a 
shoemaking shop, he carried on business along that line with good success from 
1836 until 1850, when he removed to Lykens township, purchasing the farm 
upon which Henry Fralick now resides. He purchased land in the Indian 
reserve and eighty acres near his home, making one hundred and sixty acres in 
the home farm. He traveled quite extensivly in Europe, and while in this 
county gave his attention to agricultural pursuits, whereby he gained a com- 
fortable competence. He died in January, 1889, at the ripe old age of eighty- 
three years, while his wife passed away in 1884. when seventy-three years of 
age. They were members of the Lutheran church, active in its work and 
deeply interested in the extension of its influence. 



54Q CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Charles F. Margraff was a little lad of seven years when he came with 
his parents to Lykens township, and in the common schools he acquired his 
education, which, however, has been largely supplemented by reading, observa- 
tion and experience, until he is now a well-informed man. He assisted in the 
work of the home farm until his marriage, when he began farming on his own 
account. He rented land from 1868 until 1874, and then with the capital he 
had acquired purchased eightv acres of the old homestead, upon which he re- 
sided for four years. On the expiration of that period he removed to' the farm 
upon which he now resides, and the many excellent improvements here stand 
as monuments to his enterprise, being the visible proof of an energetic, active 
and honorable career. He owns here one hundred and thirty acres of fine land, 
of which one hundred acres have been cleared, and he has elsewhere one hun- 
dred and sixty-four acres in Lykens township. He carries on general farming 
and stock-raising, and in both branches of his business is meeting with credit- 
able prosperity. Honesty he regards as the best policy in all trade transactions, 
and his business career is one unassailable. 

On the 19th of December, 1867, Air. Margraff was married to Miss Leah 
.Miller, and unto them have been born five children: Armetta, the wife of 
William C. Seele, of Holmes township; Mary Ellen, the wife of O. J. Cory, 
of Tiffin, Ohio; Ida Irene, wife of Henry D. Miller; Edwin S., deceased; and 
Charles Clarence, a carpenter by trade, living in Lykens township. The fam- 
ily is one of prominence in the neighborhood, and the hospitality of the best 
homes of this part of the county is extended to the members of the househld. 
In politics Air. Margraff is a Democrat, but not strongly partisan. For two 
terms he served as township trustee, giving excellent satisfaction by his faith- 
ful discharge of duties. He is a member of the Evangelical church and a 
worthy representative of an honored pioneer family whose history has been 
interwoven with that of Crawford county through many decades. 



SAMUEL SHUPP. 

Among the highly esteemed citizens of Crawford county who have been 
particularly well known for many years, is Samuel Shupp, a successful agri- 
culturist, a worthy member of a leading" religious denomination and an intelli- 
gent and progressive citizen. Mr. Shupp was born in Dauphin county, Penn- 
sylvania, August 2, 1828, a son of John and Maria (Yaeger) Shupp, and was 
one in a family of twelve children, all of whom have passed to the other shore 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 54 1 

except Samuel and his sister Mary, the widow of Daniel Fralick, of Lemert, 
Ohio. 

John Shupp was horn in Dauphin county. Pennsylvania, while his great- 
grandfather was horn on the sea during the passage ®i his parents from Ger- 
many to America. The father of our subject grew to manhood in the Key- 
stone state and followed the trade of shoemaking. In the fall of 1830. with 
his wife and a son-in-law. he started from the Pennsylvania home in a one- 
horse wagon, and finally reached Crawford county, Ohio. They were looking 
for a suitable location, and before returning Mr. Shupp purchased eighty acres 
of the farm upon which our subject now resides. He then went back to perfect 
arrangements for the removal of the family in the following spring. As soon 
as traveling could be undertaken with safety and comfort, Mr. Shupp, with his 
wife and children, save the oldest son, who came about one year later, started 
for Crawford county. They were accompanied by one son-in-law and his two 
children. They had two wagons, one being a prairie schooner, hauled by a 
four-horse team. Many of the older members of the family made almost all 
of the long journey on foot, and finally arrived at the little cabin erected by the 
former settlers. This was found toe small to hold the whole family, but with 
great cheerfulness beds were made in the corn crib, and when the cabin was 
full the overflow found peaceful rest after the hard labor of the day within the 
improvised house. So many hands soon made light the work of erecting a 
new house of hewn logs, and before long they were all very comfortable. 
Soon the father entered for hi- children three farms, of eighty acres each, in 
Lykens township, and two others, of eight)- acres each, in Holmes township, 
and also entered one eighty-acre tract for a nephew, who shortly followed them 
to Crawford county. This nephew gave a year of work to Mr. Shupp in pay 
for the land. Mr. Shupp also purchased twenty-five acres adjoining his land. 
in this township, and an additional thirty-two acres in Lykens township. His 
death came in 1863, when he had reached his eighty-first year. During all his 
life he had actively supported the Democratic party. For many years he was 
an earnest worker in the German Reformed church, while his wife was just 
as devoted to the Lutheran faith. Services in all religious denominations were 
held in those days in the school houses and both parents attended together. 
The mother survived her husband three or four years, living to be seventy- 
eight. 

Our subject was reared at home, but had few educational advantages on 
account of the unsettled state of the locality. This lack has long since been 
remedied. In 1849 he married Miss Mary Young, but a year later the young 



542 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

wife died, and soon after her infant child also passed away. After his mar- 
riage Air. Shupp settled on a portion of his father's property, which he farmed 
on shares until he was bereft of his wife and child, when he returned home 
and soon after began making preparations for a western trip. However, his 
parents dissuaded him from carrying out this plan, as they were advanced in 
years, and to gratify them he settled down at home again and took up his old 
occupations. Later he married Miss Rosanna Schaal, a native of Germany, 
and then purchased the home farm and had his beloved parents take up their 
residence with him. giving them filial care and loving attention until their 
•death. 

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Shupp were: John L., of Sandusky, 
Ohio; Mary A., the wife of Rev. Isaiah Laipply, an Evangelical minister in 
Nebraska ; Simon F., of Marion. Ohio; Sarah J., the widow of Elias Candel, 
of Lykens township; Rebecca, the wife of C. P. Deervester, of Broken Sword, 
this county; and Emma, E., the wife of Samuel Cover. Mrs. Shupp died in 
February, 1863, and on March 31, 1S64, Mr. Shupp was married to Miss 
Elizabeth Gerhart. a native of Lykens township, the daughter of Martin and 
Eve E. (Lehman) Gerhart, b >th natives of Germany. They came to Crawford 
county early in the '30s. Three children were born to this last marriage : 
Edwin, of Holmes township; Rolandus, a farmer on his father's land in 
Holmes township ; and Bessie B., at home. 

Mr. Shupp retains only one hundred acres of land, although he has owned 
much more. His political belief is in the principles of the Republican party, 
although prior to the Civil war he was a Democrat. For more than forty years 
he has been an active and prominent member of the Evangelical church and has 
faithfully served it as trustee, class-leader, local preacher and in the minor 
offices, contributing generously to all of its charitable and benevolent enter- 
prises. 

ANTHONY SMITH. 

Anthony Smith is a retired farmer living in New Washington, and bis 
position of financial ease has been Avon by years of indefatigable labor in the 
earlier period of his manhood. He was born in Hardin county, Virginia, 
February 24, 1831. his parents being John and Rebecca (Davis) Smith, of 
whose family of eight children our subject is the only survivor. The father 
was born in Virginia, about 1785, and in the Old Dominion was reared to 
manhood, early becoming familiar with farm work in its various departments. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 543 

He married Miss Rebecca Davis, also a native of Virginia, and upon a farm 
they began their domestic life. In the fall of 1833 they removed to Crawford 
county, Ohio, and the father entered 1 hree hundred acres of land in Chatfield 
township from the government. At th: t me there were only two houses in 
New t Washington and no roads had been made through this section of the 
country, so that the pioneer settlers blazed the trees in order to mark a path 
through the forest. Mr. Smith erected a hewed-log house in the midst of the 
wilderness and then began the arduous task of clearing his land and preparing 
it for the plow. He was a frugal, energetic man, and had placed much of his 
farm under cultivation at the time of his death, which occurred in 1845. 

Anthony Smith, of this review, was then only fourteen years of age. His 
childhood and youth were passed at home and he received but a limited edu- 
cation, owing to the inadequate school facilities found in the pioneer settle- 
ment. After his death our subject and his brothers operated the home place 
until the time of our subject's marriage, in 1866. He then purchased the in- 
terest of the other heirs, becoming the owner of two hundred and twenty-five 
acres of the old homestead, and from that time until his retirement to private 
life he was successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits. In the fall of 1867, 
however, he sold the old home farm and purchased a better improved property 
comprising one hundred and sixty acres in Cranberry township, where he 
cultivated the fields until 1878. He then rented his farm and removed to New 
Washington, purchasing the present home property in which he yet resides. 

On the 30th of January, 1866, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss 
Elizabeth Koehler, a native of Cranberry township and a daughter of Herman 
and Martha (Guiss) Koehler. Her father was a native of Helserberg, Ger- 
many, born August 2, 181 7, and when a lad of twelve years he came to Amer- 
ica with his parents, the family settling in Cranberry township, Crawford 
county, in 1833, being among the first residents of this locality. His wife was 
born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, February 1, 1825, and on the 
1 2th of November, 1842, she gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Koehler, Her 
death occurred June 22, 1893. Both were consistent members of the Evan- 
gelical Lutheran church and were beloved by all who knew them. Unto Mr. 
and Mrs. Smith have been born three children, namely : John H., a resident 
of New Washington; Margaret M., wife of George Longyear, of New Wash- 
ington: and William H., who is living with his parents. 

Air. Smith exercises his right of franchise in support of Democratic prin- 
ciples. He, too, belongs to the Lutheran church, and is a man of genuine 
worth, highly regarded for his sterling traits of character. He has made his 



544 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

home in Crawford county since pioneer days and has witnessed the wonderful 
changes which have transformed this region from a wild tract into cultivated 
farms and comfortable homes. He has seen the forests cut away, to be re- 
placed by fields of waving grain, and has watched the introduction of the rail- 
road, the telegraph, the telephone, the business enterprises and industries and 
all improvements known to the older east. He takes just pride in what his 
county has accomplished, and is a loyal and public-spirited citizen. 

FRANK O. SEARS. 

Frank O. Sears, a son of Benjamin Sears, a well-known resident of Craw- 
ford count}', was born on the homestead farm in Bucyrus township, on the 
24th of April, 1863, and has always resided in this portion of the state. The 
first four years of his life were spent on the farm, at the end of which time lus 
parents removed with their family to the city of Bucyrus, where his youthful 
days were passed. In the public schools there he acquired a fair literary edu- 
cation, and at the age of seventeen years, in partnership with his brother, Rufus 
V. Sears, he began farming and stock-raising upon his father's land, a short 
distance west of the city. This partnership continued for five years from the 
spring of 1880. but since 1885 our subject has operated the farm alone, and 
is now accounted one of the leading agriculturists and stock-raisers of the 
county. 

On the 20th of May, 1891, Mr. Sears wedded Miss Elizabeth Walker, a 
daughter of L. L. Walker, and four children have been born unto them, namely : 
Sallie M., Melissa M., Benjamin and Annie B. In politics Mr. Sears is a 
Republican. His life is a busy and useful one, and the capable manner in 
which, he manages his farm has Brought to him a good financial reward for 
his labor. 

PETER SEERV. 

In pioneer days Peter Seery came to Crawford county and has been an 
interested witness of the growth and development of this portion of the state 
since that time. He has borne his part in the work of upbuilding and progress, 
and has aided in transforming the wild land into beautiful homes and farms. 
He well deserves mention among the pioneer settlers, and gladly we present 
the record of his life to our readers. 

Air. Seery was born in Ross county, Ohio, near Chillicothe, October 5, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 545 

1818, his parents being Solomon and Magdeline (Vangundy) Seery. The 
father was born in Pennsylvania, and when young went to Ross county. 
After arriving at years of maturity he married Miss Vangundy, and unto them 
were hern twelve children: Alary, John, David, Peter, Samuel, Ann, Solomon, 
Magdeline, Jacob, Francis, Jeremiah and cue that died in infancy. The only 
ones now living are Peter, Solomon, Jacob and Francis. 

In the spring of 1833, accompanied by his two oldest children, the father 
came to Crawford county, making the journey by ox team. He located in 
Lykens township, entering eighty acres of land from the government, and 
erected thereon a log cabin, built of split logs and containing but one room. 
He spent the summer in clearing his land and in the fall returned to Ross 
county for his wife and the other members of the family. Again the journey 
was made with ox learns, and here in true pioneer style the Seery family began 
life, sharing in the trials and experiences of the frontier. Later the father 
entered a quarter section of land from the government, and throughout the 
remainder of his life successfully carried on agricultural pursuits. He was a 
progressive and public-spirited citizen, who aided in laying out the roads, 
organizing the school districts and otherwise promoting the work of public 
progress and improvement. He served as township trustee and in other local 
offices, and his labors in behalf of the community proved of great value. He 
was a member of, and active worker in, the United Brethren church until his 
death, which occurred in [861, when he was seventy-two years of age. His 
wife, who survived him thirteen years, was also a consistent member of the 
United Brethren church. 

The subject of this review was a youth of fourteen when he came with 
his parents to this county. He aided in the work of clearing and developing 
the land and in an early day engaged in hauling grain. He remained on the 
farm with his father until twenty-seven years of age, when he was married and 
removed to the farm upon which he now resides. Only a few acres had been 
cleared at that time and the home was a primitive log cabin. To-day he owns 
one hundred and thirty acres of valuable land, constituting a fine farm, splen- 
didly improved. 

Air. Seery first wedded Margaret Pennington, and unto them were born 
five children, namely : Mary F., now deceased; William H., a carpenter residing 
in Kansas ; Williard W., of Polk county, Wisconsin ; Rhoda M., wife of James 
Delinger, a stock-buyer of Lykens township; and Phoebe ]., wife of John 
Kannel. 

Mr. Seery married Sarah Livensparger, a native of Richland county,. 



546 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Ohio. The family attended the United Brethren church, of which Mr. Seery 
is an earnest and active member, having served therein as steward and trustee 
and aided in every possible way in advancing" its growth and extending its 

influence. 

GEORGE SHROLL. 

The time has gone by when the life of a farmer was one of toil with dis- 
couraging and depressing surroundings. At present no class of citizens are so 
independent or so comfortably fixed as are the farmers of a county like that of 
Crawford, Ohio. Among the well-improved and productive farms and com- 
modious and attractive residences is that owned by George Sholl, farmer and 
stock-raiser, in Bucyrus township. His birth was in this count}", October 18, 
1855, and his parents were Levi and Barbara ( Wisman) Shroll, both of Ger- 
man descent. 

Levi Shroll was born in Pennsylvania and came to Crawford county with 
his parents, and later married Barbara Wisman, whose family has notice in 
another part of this volume. Five children were born of this union, two of 
whom died in childhood, and one, Sarah, died at the age of twenty-one. Maria 
is the wife of Frederick Trisk, of Todd township, our subject being the only 
other survivor. The mother died when George was but an infant of one and 
one-half years. After marriage the father had settled on our subject's present 
farm, and here he died in 1876, having been a successful farmer and respected 
citizen. 

Reared on the farm and educated in the public schools, George Shroll grew 
to self-respecting" manhood, and by the time he was prepared to set up a house- 
hold of his own he most thoroughly understood the science of farming" from 
practical experience. In 1881 he married Leafie Conkle, the only daughter of 
Niche-las and Susan Conkle, a pioneer and one of the most successful farmers 
•of this county, who was born in Bucyrus township. In 1879 he moved to 
Sedalia, Missouri, and died January 11, 1885. The mother and five brothers 
of Mrs. Shroll all live in Missouri. Three children have been born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Shroll : Clarence C, Jesse E. and Raymond. 

The land owned by Mr. Shroll shows its tine cultivation on every side, 
and his flocks cover many fields, as he is largely interested in the raising O'f 
sheep. The stranger is immediately impressed with the air of neatness and 
thrift which pervades the surroundings of Mr. Shroll, his buildings being mod- 
ern in. stvle and finish and models of their kind. For manv vears he has been 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 547 

a leading member and willing supporter of the United Brethren church and is 
deservedly popular among his acquaintances, and through the township is 
known as honest, upright and industrious. 

THOMAS TOBIN. 

The name of Tobin is a familiar one in Crawford county, for through 
many years its representatives have been actively connected with its agri- 
cultural interests and have been promoters of the progress and development of 
this portion of the state. Thomas Tobin, of this review, was born in Letter 
Kenny count}', Donegal, Ireland, about 1822. Little is known concerning 
the ancestral history of the family, for during his early boyhood his par- 
ents died within one week of typhoid fever. 

After the death of his parents Thomas Tobin found a home with his 
uncle, John Gibson, where he remained until his twentieth year. Then, in 
connection with his brother William, he rented a field and raised a crop of 
flax. With the sale of this crop and through other means the brothers ac- 
quired enough money to enable one of them to come to America, and as 
William was the elder our subject turned over his money to him, with the 
agreement that William was to send for Thomas when he had earned the 
sum sufficient to pay the latter's passage to the new world. In 1844 our 
subject started for the United States, landing in Philadelphia on the 3d of 
July,after seven weeks spent on the bosom of the Atlantic. Two weeks later 
he came to Ohio, making the trip by rail to Johnstown, thence by canal to 
Pittsburg and on to Wooster, Ohio, by stage. From that place to Rome he 
continued the journey on foot. During the succeeding autumn he went to 
work for a Mr. Haymaker, in Franklin township, Richland county, by whom 
his brother William was employed, and for a year continued in that service, 
receiving the meager compensation of three dollars per month for his services. 
He next went to Mansfield, where he engaged in carpentering for two years, 
and in the spring of 1847 he returned to Franklin township, entering into 
partnership with his former employer, Mr. Haymaker, the connection being 
maintained until late in the succeeding autumn. Their relation being then 
severed, Mr. Tobin continued carpentering and building on his own account 
until after his marriage, when he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. 

On the 6th of April, 1849, was celebrated the marriage of our subject and 
Miss Elizabeth Shilling, a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and a 
daughter of David and Anna (Hollister) Shilling, both of whom were natives. 



54§ CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

of Germany and came from Pennsylvania to Crawford county, Ohio, about 
1847. During the years of a happy married life eight children have come 
to bless the home of 3*1 r. and Airs. Tobin, and the family circle vet remains 
unbroken by the hand of death. The children are: Anna Mary, widow of 
Samuel Springer, of Cranberry township; William James, who conducts a 
blacksmith shop in Xew Washington; David Elmer, a resident farmer of 
Cranberry township; John Franklin, who is proprietor of a grocery store in 
Xew Washington; Margorie E., wife of Allison Bittikoffer, of Bucyrus ; 
Thomas G., of Canyon City, Colorado; Eva E., at home; and Clement L., 
who is living in Denver, Colorado. 

For a year after his marriage Mr. Tobin resided upon the farm which 
adjoins his present home place, and then purchased the eighty acres which he 
has since improved and cultivated. He first erected a log cabin in the midst 
of the forest and removed to his home, the family experiencing man) - of the 
trials and hardships of pioneer life during the early days in which he was 
gaining a start. After some years he erected his present substantial residence 
and other farm buildings and has since carried on the work of development 
and improvement, until the property is now very valuable. In politics he is 
a Democrat and in religious faith is an English Lutheran. Strong purpose 
and indefatigable energy have been the means of bringing to him success in 
life, and he is now numbered among the men of affluence and among the lead- 
ing and influential citizens of Cranberry township. 

HUGH M. COin'. 

Hugh M. Cory has a wide acquaintance in Crawford county and enjoys 
the hig'hest esteem of his fellow townsmen. He makes his home in Xew Wash- 
ington and is one of its representative' citizens, well deserving representation 
in this volume. 

Mr. Cory was born in Cranberry township, Crawford county. December 
28, 1845, anc ^ comes of one of the old New England families of Scotch de- 
scent. Early in the seventeenth century three brothers of Scotch birth emi- 
grated from the land of hills and heather, and braving the danger incident to 
an ocean voyage in that early period of trans-Atlantic navigation, came to 
America. Aaron Cory, one of these brothers, soon after settling in the 
Massachusetts colony, was married and for many years continued his resi- 
dence in Massachusetts. One of his descendants, though in what generation 
is not known, was Nathan Cory and his eldest son was Joseph Cory. An- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 549 

other link in the family history is missing', but we have record of John Cory, 
who about 1725 removed to Trenton, New Jersey. He married Elizabeth 
Brown, who was also of Scotch descent, and the eldest of their large family 
of children was Thomas Cory, who was born in New Jersey, in 1734, and 
when thirty-six years of age was united in marriage to Miss Mary Wallace, 
by whom he had three sons and three daughters. One of these sons was 
Aaron Cory, the paternal grandfather of our subject. 

Aaron Cory was born in Xew Jersey, in the year 1773, and near the 
close of the eighteenth century located in Washington county, Pennsylvania. 
In that state he was married to Elizabeth McGuire in 1798. In 1802 he emi- 
grated westward to Ohio, settling in Tuscarawas county, where he remained 
for a number of years, or until about 1819, when he took up his abode in Ash- 
land county. There he remained for seven years and in 1826 came to Craw- 
ford count}-, casting- in his lot among its pioneer settlers. He made his home 
in Cranberry township, entering a tract of land from the government and 
there he began the development of a farm. In addition to his farming opera- 
tions Aaron Cory labored earnestly for the spiritual uplifting- of his fellow 
men. He was an ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, pos- 
sessed great personal magnetism and an undaunted will and did a vast 
amount of good in founding and encouraging the church and Sunday-school 
organizations. He died in 1834, in the sixty-first year of his age. 

Since 1826 the Corys have been among the most distinguished and lead- 
ing- citizens in the northeastern part of Crawford count}-. Thomas Cory, a 
son of Aaron Cory and the father of our subject, was a man of great natural 
ability and served with marked fidelity in various positions of honor and 
trust. He was born in New Jersey, in 1810, was reared under the parental 
roof, and when about twenty-five years of age married Esther G. Brown, who 
was born in Nescopeck, Luzerne county,- Pennsylvania, in 1808, her parents 
being James and Mar}- Brown, natives of Pennsylvania and representatives 
o>f Dutch ancestry. They came to Ohio at an early period in its development, 
locating in Auburn township, Crawford count}-, whence they afterward re- 
moved to Van Wert county, where the maternal grandfather of our subject 
was accidentally killed while hauling logs. At the time of his marriage 
Thomas Cory began his career as a farmer on a little tract of land of twenty 
acres in Auburn township. After some time his success enabled him to in- 
crease his landed possessions, and, selling his first property, he purchased 
the farm now owned by T. B. Carson, comprising one hundred and sixty acres 
in Cranberry township. Thereon he made his home until his death, which 



55o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

occurred in 1854. Six years previous his constitution had been broken down 
by the suffering' caused from milk sickness. He was a stanch member of 
the Methodist Episcopal church and was a Democrat in his political affilia- 
tions, but was never an office seeker. Unto Thomas and Esther Cory were 
born seven children, of whom six are yet living, namely : Mary E. is now 
the wife of James Morrow, of Auburn township. James E. is a dealer in 
oil and gas lands in Marion, Indiana, and was for four years representative 
from his county in the state legislature. He was the author of several im- 
portant enactments, which passed both the house and the senate. Robert W. 
is a veteran of the Civil war, serving for three years as a member of Com- 
pany C, Sixty-fifth Ohio Infantry, and is now a farmer living at Galena, 
Missouri. Hugh M. is the next younger. Sarah E. is the wife of Henry 
C. Martin, a farmer of Montgomery county, Kansas. Susan N. is the wife 
of John Morrow, an agriculturist of Auburn township. The second mem- 
ber of the family was Thomas C. Cory, a veteran of the Civil war, who after- 
ward became a prominent attorney of Kansas, but died in that state, as the 
result of his wounds, in 1888. 

Hugh M. Cory spent his childhood days under the parental roof and 
acquired his education in the district schools. On the return of his brothers 
from the army the burden of the farm work and management was taken from 
his shoulders and he was then able to acquire a better education, so that in 
1864 he entered Lexington Seminary, where he pursued his studies during the 
summer months for four years. In the winter season he engaged in teach- 
ing in order to pay his tuition. He was also a student for one term in the 
Delaware University. In April, 1870, he went to Kansas, and shortly after- 
ward, on account of the building of the two branches of the Missouri, Kan- 
sas & Texas Railroad, he went to Parsons, Kansas, which was at the junction 
of the two railroads and there the company purchased four sections of land, 
laying" out the town of Parsons. Believing that the new town would prove a 
desirable place Mr. Cory and his brother hastened thither, acquiring some 
propertv, and for eight years Air. Cory, of this review, was engaged in the 
real-estate business at that point, while his brother practiced law. Our sub- 
ject read law with his brother in his leisure hours, but never applied for ad- 
mission to the bar. However, during that time he argued many cases 
before the iustice court and was very successful in law work. In August, 
1878, he sold his real estate in Kansas and returned to Ohio, soon after- 
ward locating in New Washington, where he engaged in the real-estate and 
fire insurance business. In 1882 he was elected justice of the peace, and 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 551 

with but two or three terms intermission has continuously filled the posi- 
tion since that time. In 1885 ne was elected mayor of New Washington and 
served for fourteen consecutive years in that office. He has a record for 
public service that is scarcely paralleled and no comment need be made con- 
cerning his ability and fidelity, for this is indicated by his long continuance 
in office. Mr. Cory was one of the founders of the Settlers' Advocate, a 
weekly publication in the interests of the settlers, as well as real-estate men. 
In 1886 occurred the marriage of our subject and Miss Carrie F. Baker, 
a native of Crawford county and a daughter of George W. Baker, a prom- 
inent farmer of Vernon township. Six children have been born unto them : 
Hazel, now deceased: Minnie M.. who born in 1888: a son who died in in- 
fancy; Thomas, born in 1894; Lois, born in 1898; and Mary E., born on 
the 1st of May, 1899. The parents hold membership in the Methodist Epis- 
copal church and Mr. Cory is one of the well known and highly esteemed 
residents of Xew Washington. 

GEORGE STUCKEY. 

While Germans and men of German extraction have won success m 
nearly every walk of life, they have been especiallv successful as farmers, a 
fact that has been amply demonstrated by farmers of German blood in 
Crawford county, Ohio, notably in Lykens township, where George Stuckev 
and others have made records which distinguish them above manv other well- 
to-do farmers in the county. 

George Stuckey was burn in Lykens township, Crawford county, 01ii<». 
on the same farm which is now his home, August 19, 1867, a son of Carl 
Stuckey, a native of Bavaria. Germany, born in 1821. Carl Stuckev, who 
was a blacksmith by trade, came to America in 1847 and landed in New- 
York City, after forty days' voyage on an old-fashioned sailing vessel. From 
New York he went to Sandusky, Ohio, where for a time he was employed at 
railway construction. Removing to Bloom township, Seneca count)-, he 
worked as a farm hand for several years by the month until he was able to 
buy eighty acres of land in Lykens township, Crawford county. The land 
was heavily timbered and he made a clearing on it and built a log house, in 
which he lived until 1864, when he removed to the farm on which he died, 
January 22, 1899. He was twice married. His first wife, Mary Keiffer, 
bore him two children : Henry, who lives in Seneca county, and Mary, who 

married John Ohl. His second wife was Laura Kellar, and they had eight 
30 



5 52 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

children, as follows: Lena, who is the wife of Frank Dennis, of Seneca 
county, Ohio; Charles, who is a well-known citizen of Texas township, Craw- 
ford county; Elizabeth, the wife of Lewis Young, of Lykens township; Hat- 
tie, who married Charles Mohr, of Lykens township; George, who is the 
immediate subject of this sketch and the next in order of birth ;' William J., 
a respected citizen of Texas township; Laura, who married Cyrus Ohl, of 
Seneca county; and Nellie, who makes her home with George and is a student 
at Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, Ohio. The mother of these children died 
in September, 1893. 

George Stuckey was brought up to work on the farm and received a 
practical education in the common schools near his home. In 1890 he rented 
his father's homestead, which has been his home to the present time. He 
owns one hundred and sixty acres of good land and gives his attention to 
general farming and stock-raising. lie is a member of the German Reformed 
church and in politics he is a Democrat. He has never been active as a pol- 
itician and has never sought any public office, but he exerts a good influence 
in a political way and his public spirit has led him to identify himself with 
man)' movements, which he believed promised to benefit his fellow citizens. 

Air. Stuckey was married February 28, 1896, to Miss Etta Boomershine, 
and has a boy named Glenn. 

SAMUEL SNYDER. 

Samuel Snyder, who resides on one of the fine farms of Todd township, 
and is one of the highly esteemed and useful citizens of Crawford count) - , 
Ohio, was born in Holmes township, on Xov ember 17, 1836. He was a son 
of Rudolph and Anna (Schlabaeh) Snyder, who had six children, our sub- 
ject and his brther John, of Henry count)", Ohio, being the only ones re- 
maining. 

Born in Berne, Germany, about 1800, Rudolph Snyder grew up in his 
native land and was thoroughly instructed in the trade of carpenter, and 
married an estimable lady in his neighborhood. Starting with his wife and 
three children for the United States, in 1836, he reached this country with his 
wife and only one of the children, as two of the little ones died on the voyage 
and were buried at sea. Not only did Mr. Snyder and his wife have to 
suffer from this double bereavement, but the voyage was one of storm and 
danger, after sixty-four days being towed into New York harbor by a passing 
vessel, their own sails having been washed away. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 553 

Mr. and Mrs. Snyder made their way to Bucyrus, Ohio, where many of 
their countrymen resided, and with them found sympathy and remained there 
for six months. Their means were limited and Mr. Snyder was able to 
buy but nine acres of land. This was covered with timber, but on it Mr. 
Snyder dug a cave, improvised a roof and lived here for the following two 
years, and then built a substantial and comfortable hewed-log house, in 
which he resided until 1856. when he removed to what was known as the 
Hall farm, which he rented for three years. That Mr. Snyder was frugal, 
energetic and industrious may be inferred from the fact that about this time 
he was financially able to purchase eighty acres of timber land, in Todd town- 
ship, this being the farm upon which our subject now resides. During- these 
succeeding three years, by working on moonlight nights and taking advantage 
of every holiday, receiving some assistance from his little sons, Mr. Snyder 
succeeded in clearing up ten acres, and in 1859 he built a portion of the pres- 
ent handsome farm residence and here he lived until his death, in 1879. His 
faithful wife, who has endured all his trials and cheered him through the 
years of their companionship, survived him only eight days. They were most 
worthy people and were members of the Lutheran church, while in politics 
he was in sympathy with the Democratic party, although he never took any 
active interest in public affairs. 

The subject of this sketch, Samuel Snyder, grew to sturdy manhood, 
strengthened by the hardships of pioneer life, and became a most important 
factor in the clearing of the farm, and in i860 bought twenty acres, which 
adjoined his father's purchase. Two years later he was married to Miss 
Catherine Spiegel, who was a native of Germany and a daughter of Chris- 
topher Spiegel, who came to Ohio from his German home and settled in 
Todd township about ]86o. After marriage our subject began housekeeping 
on his little farm and worked also at the- carpenter's trade and built many of 
the largest barns in this section of the township, although he never served 
any apprenticeship, having inherited the capacity for mechanical skill from his 
father. 

In 1879, when the parents of Mr. Snyder died, the home farm, which had 
been acquired with so much industry and economy by his father, and upon 
which he had worked through many a year, came into his possession, while 
his brother John took a farm in Henry county, in which our subject also 
had an interest. Since that time Mr. Snyder and family have lived on the 
old homestead, now one of the most valuable properties in this part of the 
township. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Snyder, namely : 



554 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Hygeia, the wife of Joseph Hilborn, of Bucyrus; Hattie, the wife of George 
Allbright, of Todd township; Charles, at home; and Bertha, the wife of 
Benjamin Beall, of Bucyrus township, in this county. 

Mr. Snyder is inclined to favor the Democratic party in politics, but he 
is liberal-minded, and frequently votes for the man instead of the party. He 
is one of the highly respected citizens of this township, and a most worthy 
representative of the honest and persevering parents who so bravely battled 
through poverty and misfortune and won the esteem of all with whom they 
came in contact. 

WILLIAM GLEDHILL. 

There are few farmers in Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio,, 
who are better or more favorably known than William Gledhill, who was 
born March 12, 1838. in Jefferson township, Crawford county (then Rich- 
land county), Ohio, a son of Joseph and Mary (Mitchell) Gledhill. 

Joseph Gledhill was born September 11, 1799, at Browbridge, Others- 
field, Yorkshire, England; married at Leicester, England, in the year 1824, 
Mary Mitchell; moved to America in 1826, and located in Trumbull county, 
Ohio. Being a carder by trade, he ran a woolen factory for five years, then 
removed to Youngstown and engaged again at his trade, and from Youngs- 
town he came to Crawford county, in 1832, and bought a farm, where he 
resided until his death, at the age of sixty-eight years. His wife, who bore 
him eleven children, attained the advanced age of eighty-four years. The 
following facts concerning the children of Joseph and Mary (Mitchell) 
Gledhill are pertinent to the purpose of this sketch. Eight of them grew to 
manhood and womanhood. Elizabeth, the eldest, married David Snyder and 
they have both passed away. Alary married Perry Russell and lives at Mid- 
diet oavii, Ohio. Esther married John Shoemaker and is dead. Martha, who 
became the wife of Colonel Calvin Burwell, is also dead. Sarah married 
Henry Castle and lives in Jefferson township. John married Susan Burgin 
and died in 1883. Joseph is a prominent citizen of Jefferson township. Will- 
iam is the immediate subject of this sketch. 

William Gledhill was born and reared on his father's old homestead in 
Jefferson township, of which he took charge at the age of nineteen years, 
of which he is now the owner and on which he has lived all his life. He owns 
one hundred and seventy acres of well improved and very productive land 
and gives his attention to general farming and stock-raising. A Republican" 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 5 55 

in politics, he has taken an active interest in local affairs and has held the 
•office of township trustee for eleven years, with some intervals, and is its 
incumbent at this time, and his interest in good roads has been such that he 
lias for many years been kept in the office of road supervisor. He is a member 
of the Junior Order of American Mechanics. 

Mr. Gledhill was married April 10, 1873, to Miss Rebecca Gilliland and 
they have five children, named Olive, Esther, Edward, Tacy and Cleo Hazel. 
Edward married Miss Idessa Deam and lives in Jefferson township. 

JOHN KELLER. 

One of the fertile and valuable farms of Crawford county is the prop- 
erty of John Keller, one of the leading agriculturists of lhs locality. He is a 
native of Ashland county, Ohio, born on the 3d of April, 1843, a son °f 
Henry and Maria (Geip) Keller. The father was born in Northampton 
count)", Pennsylvania, in 181 6, and when fourteen years of age came with his 
parents to Ashland county, Ohio. In 1847 ue took up his residence in Craw- 
ford count}', settling in Todd township, where he purchased eighty acres of 
land, but seven years later he sold that tract and purchased one hundred and 
thirty-three and a third acres north of Osceola, also in Todd township, where 
he spent the remainder of his life, passing away on the 1st of June, 1899. He 
was a Democrat in his political views and was a member of the German Bap- 
tist church. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Keller were born seven children, five of whom 
still survive: Hettie, the wife of W. Y. Fagin, of Sycamore, Ohio; John, 
of this review; Sarah, the wife of J. A. Welsh, of Wyandot county, Ohio; 
Nancy, the wife of Samuel Keifer, of Osceola; and Elias, a resident of Todd 
township. After the death of the mother of these children the father was 
again married, Miss Mary Baker becoming his wife, and they had one son, 
William, who resides at Lemert, Todd township. 

John Keller, whose name introduces this review, acquired a limited edu- 
cation in the old log school house of his district. In February, 1864, he en- 
isted for service in the Civil war, becoming a member of Company E, 
Thirty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He took part in the Lynchburg raid, 
was with Sheridan in the second engagement at Y\ 'inchester, and took part 
in the battles of Berryville, Cedar Creek, Fisher's Hill and many other en- 
gagements of the war. He was captured at Beverly, Virginia, on the 8th 
of January, 1865, and was sent to Libby prison, where, after forty days, he 
was paroled and exchanged, after which he returned to his home on a thirty 



556 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

days furlough. On the expiration of that period he returned to his command, 
and on the 31st of July, 1865, received his honorable discharge at Columbus 
and returned to his home. Mr. Keller then worked for his father until the fol- 
lowing December, when he went to Michigan and worked as a farm hand there 
for one year. Again returning to his home, he then took charge of the old 
homestead, which he worked on the shares, and in August, 1872, he purchased 
his present farm of sixty acres, where he has since resided. 

In 1866 Mr. Keller was united in marriage with Miss Sarah L. Mc- 
Creary, a native of Lorain county, Ohio, and a daughter of John McCreary. 
They have had two children, but only one is now living, Eva L., the wife of 
J. C. Frost, who is serving as postmaster of Osceola. Our subject is liberal 
in his political views, but gives his preference to the Democracy. He is one 
of the most successful men of his community and is regarded as one of its 
well-to-do citizens. 

ALBERT HAMMOND. 

Albert Hammond was one of the honored pioneers of this portion of 
Ohio, and for many years was identified with agricultural interests here. He 
was a native of Cayuga county. New York, born February 25, 1813, and 
was a son of George and Sarah ( White) Hammond. His father, at a very 
early period in the development of Crawford county, emigrated westward, 
settling near Tiro, wher.e he entered one hundred and sixty acres of land 
from the government and began the arduous task of developing a new farm, 
and there lived and died. 

Mr. Hammond, the subject of this sketch, married Miss Catherine Groes- 
beck, who was born October 4, 181 3, and they became the parents of six 
children: Almira ; Alvira ; Philora, deceased; Orlando, deceased; Ellen De- 
lora; and Lucy. In 1834 our subject removed to Lykens township and set- 
tled where Jacob Breode now lives. He entered the land from the govern- 
ment, built a log cabin and began to clear and improve the farm, which he 
transformed into a desirable property, the fields yielding- to him good har- 
vests. There he resided until 1875, when he removed to the farm upon 
which he spent his remaining days, his death occurring when he was seventy- 
two years of age. He was actively concerned in the work of public progress 
and improvement. Indians were still to be seen in this part of the state when 
he came to the county and the work of progress and improvement seemed 
scarcely begun. He helped to lay out roads, build school houses and assisted 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 5 57 

in building the Baptist church. No work calculated to advance the general 
welfare sought his aid in vain and he was widely known as a most valuable 
citizen. He held various township offices, ever discharging his duties most 
faithfully, and wherever he was known he was held in the highest regard 
by reason of his upright life and ficlelitv to principle. 

Almira, the eldest child of Albert Hammond, was born in Lvkens town- 
ship, Crawford county, Ohio, May 12, [835, and has spent her entire life 
in the county. She has been twice married. She first wedded James Miller, 
and they had four children: Albert, a merchant of Plankton, Ohio; Izora 
A., wife of Elbridge Tippin, of Kansas: Elbert P. and Francis M. The last 
two learned blacksmithing and located in Tiffin, Ohio, where the younger 
was killed by a kick from a horse in July, 1901. After the death of her 
first husband Mrs. Miller gave her hand in marriage to Jacob Johnston, and 
they had two sons, one dying in infancy, and the surviving one is Corma E., 
at home with his mother. 

Mrs. Johnston owns eighty-two acres, which is cultivated by her youngest 
son, and the farm is now in good condition, due mother and son are both 
members of the Baptist church. Mrs. Johnston is a milliner by trade and has 
engaged in business along that line to a considerable extent. She is one of 
the worthy and honored pioneer ladies of the county, representing- a prom- 
inent family, and is held in high regard for her many estimable characteristics. 

HENRY R. LINN. 

As one of the largest land-owners and most substantial citizens of Craw- 
ford county, Henry R. Linn occupies a prominent position, although there are 
many who can recall the day when his only capital was an abundance of en- 
ergy, an industrious and willing nature and an honesty, which his worthy par- 
ents had taught him while still a child. 

Mr. Linn was born in Holmes township, in Crawford count}', on April 
12, 1840, and was a son of Philip and Christina (Holcher) Linn. They were 
born in Wurtemberg, Germany, and were married in their native land, and 
there their oldest son, John, was born. John Linn is now a prosperous farmer 
of Chatfield township. In 1833, when John was but three years old, Mr. and 
Mrs. Linn came to America and settled on a farm in Holmes township, where 
the rest of the children were born, these being: William, who died in 1862; 
Mary, who married Andrew Green, of Liberty township; Henry R. ; Philip. 
who resides in Marion county, Ohio; Jacob, who also resides in Marion 



5 5§ CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

county; Charles, who lives in Bucyrus; and Elizabeth, who is unmarried. 
The mother died in 1870, at the age of sixty-five, the father surviving- until 
he was eighty-two. These worthy and pious parents reared their children in 
the German Lutheran church and did their best to give them a common- 
school education. 

Until he was fifteen years old Henry Linn remained at home, but the 
family was large and he early decided to look out for himself /and for five or 
six years he worked by the month and then bought a team and as a renter 
engaged in farming. - For about eight years he rented farms and finally 
bought a tract of one hundred and thirty acres in Holmes township, but never 
located on that land. After owning it for some three or four years he sold it 
and bought one hundred and fifty-six acres in Dallas township, upon which 
he moved, and there he lived for two years, erecting a house and barns, 
with other outbuildings and putting it into perfect repair. This enabled 
him to sell at a good profit and then he bought a fine estate, consisting of 
three hundred and twenty acres in Dallas township, where he now lives. Here 
he has built one of the most attractive residences in this locality, and one 
of those barns so necessary upon a farm where large operations are success- 
fully carried on, and has made other improvements, both to beautify and in- 
crease the value of his property. Since this purchase he has added ninety 
acres and now owns four hundred and ten acres of some of the finest land 
in the county 

In 1877 Mr. Linn married Miss Alice Martin, the daughter of Henry 
and Elizabeth (Miller) Martin, pioneers of Crawford county. To Mr. and 
Mis Linn three daughters and one son have been bom: Grace E., who has 
taught several terms of school; Gertie, who has also proved herself a line 
teacher; Helen and Ora. With his wife and children he belongs to the Meth- 
odist church, where all are highly valued. Mr. Linn has been a life-long 
Democrat and has efficiently served for two years as township treasurer. 

Henry Martin, the father of Mrs. Linn, was born in Richland county, 
Ohio, on January 12, 1826, and was a son of Charles Martin, a pioneer of 
Richland county, who later lived in Crawford county and then removed to 
Huron county, where he died. His ancestry was German. 

Mr. Martin was married to Elizabeth Miller, in 1853, in Marion county, 
Ohio, where Mrs. Martin's parents were then living. She was born there. 
Her parents, also of German descent, were early settlers of Marion county. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Martin ten children were born, all of whom survive and 
are George W., Alice J., Mary J., Erne A., Sarah Ellen, Ida May, Viola I., 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 5 59 

Charles E., Harry J. and Blanche I. The lamented death of Air. Martin oc- 
curred on August 19, 1891, and his widow lives on the old home place. 

In 1857 Mr. Martin moved to Dallas township, Crawford county, and 
established the home upon which his widow now resides. By trade he was a 
carpenter, but he worked at it very little after coming to this county. In 
business he was fairly successful. He took a great interest in the Democratic 
party and for several years was justice of the peace and township treas- 
urer. He was held in high esteem in the Methodist church, of which he was a 
worthy member. 

JEFFERSON MARQUART. 

Jefferson Marquart is a representative of a well-known family of Craw- 
ford county, whose members have ever been people of sterling worth, well 
meriting the high regard in which they are uniformly held. Throughout his 
entire life he has been identified with agricultural pursuits in his native county. 
His birth occurred on the old family homestead, where his father now resides, 
his natal day being October 4, 1858. He is a son of Michael Marquart, of 
whom extended mention is made on another page of this work. During his 
youth he had the influences of a good home and was enabled to acquire a 
practical English education in the common schools. He received training in 
the work of the fields and meadows and was thus fitted for carrying on business 
on his own account. On the 23d of May, 1882, he was united in marriage to 
Miss Margaret Riedel, a native of Chatfield township, and a daughter of Con- 
rad Riedel, one of the pioneer settlers of Crawford count)-, now residing in New 
Washington. 

After his marriage Mr. Marquart and his bride located upon his father's 
land in Seneca county and operated that farm, while he and his brother 
August also carried on the home farm, the partnership continuing for one year. 
In the succeeding autumn Jefferson Marquart removed to his present home of 
eighty acres, which his father had purchased only a short time previous. 
Here he has since resided, his time and attention being given to agricultural 
pursuits. Everything about his place is neat and thrifty in appearance and 
in his farming operations he is meeting with creditable prosperity. For eight 
years he ran a thresher, but in 1899 disposed of his interests in that busi- 
ness. The many excellent improvements which he has made upon his farm 
have transformed it into one of the valuable farm properties in this portion of 
the countv. 



560 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Tn 1884 Mr. Marquart was called upon to mourn the loss of his first wife, 
who died on the 22(1 of May, and their only child is also- deceased. On the 
2d of January, 1887, he was again married, his second union being with Miss 
Mary E. Shade, a native of Seneca county, Ohio, and a daughter of William 
and Anna (Deisler) Shade, both of whom were natives of Seneca county, 
Ohio. Her paternal grandfather, Samuel Shade, was born in Pennsylvania 
and came to Seneca county, Ohio, among the first of its pioneer settlers. Her 
maternal grandfather, Charles Deisler, also cast in his lot with the early resi- 
dents of that community when it was a frontier region, he having emigrated 
to the new world from Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Marquart now have one 
child, Rosa A. C, who was born December 20, 1887. In his political views 
Mr. Marquart is liberal, although he usually supports the Democracy. He and 
his family are very highly esteemed people and are consistent members of 
the Lutheran church. Their circle of friends is extensive and their own home 
is well known for its cordial and sincere hospitality. 

ROYAL R. ROSS. 

The Ross family, to which our subject. Royal Resolved Ross, who is a 
leading citizen of Crawford county, Ohio, traces his ancestry, originated in 
Scotland, from which country his great-grandfather came generations ago, 
settling in Pomfret, Connecticut, among the early settlers. The grandfather 
was a well known physician there who later removed with his family to 
Otsego count}-, Xew York, where the father of our subject grew to manhood 
and married; in 1825 he came to Crawford county. The parents of our 
subject, Abel C. and Celia ( Emmons) Ross, had a family of four children, but 
our subject is the only survivor. Two died in infancy and one daughter, 
Phoebe Alzina married Wiliam Cuykendall, who at death left four children, 
viz. : Ross, Dorr, Edessa and William R. 

Abel Ross was born in Pomfret. Connecticut, in 1800, and was a son 
of Royal Ross. After his marriage in the state of New York he came to 
Craw ton 1 county, Ohio, and settled on the farm in Auburn township, which 
is now the property of Alfred C. Ross, and here he entered eighty acres of 
land, and in later vears added thirty-two and one-half acres to the original 
purchase. At that time it was virgin forest, but he worked hard and suc- 
ceeded in clearing it up, and lived in the log cabin, which he built upon it, 
until our subject was eighteen years of age. Then Mr. Ross built a com- 
modious and comfortable frame residence, and lived here until his death. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 56 * 

The mother of Mr. Ross, of this sketch, died when he was only four years 
old. By a later marriage, to Miss Laura A. Carlisle, three more children 
were added to the family, — Byron H., Celia A. and Alfred C, the last named 
residing on the home farm. In his early years Mr. Ross was a Whig", and 
later naturally connected himself with the Republican party. Although not 
a member, he was a supporter of the Baptist church, and was known as a man 
of probity and Christian life and character. 

Royal R. Ross was born in Auburn township, Crawford county, Ohio, 
on November 2^, 1832, and he was a son of Abel C. and Celia (Emmons) 
Ross, as mentioned above. He grew up on the home farm and acquired his 
education in the common schools, all of his attendance, with two years' excep- 
tion, being in the pioneer log hut, with slabs for benches and with a puncheon 
floor, over which the little barefooted children had to walk with circum- 
spection, always being in danger of splinters. When he had reached the age 
of nineteen years our subject began to work for neighboring farmers, as- 
sisting in the haying and harvesting, and was a welcome hand for the fol- 
lowing four years, being strong and willing. 

About 1855, desiring to see something of the world, Mr. Ross went to 
Charlotte, Michigan, and worked through one year in a sawmill there, going 
then to Marion, in Linn county, Iowa, where he was employed during the next 
year on a farm. A party of friends desired Mr. Ross to accompany them to 
Kansas, and he bought a horse and made his way to Independence, Missouri, 
where he joined them, but the party was detained some weeks and our sub- 
ject in the meantime found temporary employment. They all reached Neo- 
sho Falls, Kansas, but finally decided to turn back. Mr. Ross returned with 
them to Ohio, and found business conditions better in his native place than 
in other sections of the country. In 1858 he entered into a partnership with 
Samuel Hilborn and Samuel Wynn and they built a steam sawmill in this 
township, and this enterprise was successfully conducted for seven years. 
During this time Mr. Ross bought a farm of one hundred acres, known as 
the Williams farm, later trading this for one of eighty acres, located near 
the mill. Two vears later he sold this property to advantage and bought 
eighty acres, where he now resides, selling the mill at this tune and removing 
to his present property, where he now owns one hundred and twenty acres of 
well-improved and highly cultivated land. Forty acres of desirable land our 
subject gave to his sons. 

The marriage of Mr. Ross was in i860, to Miss Mar}- A. Aumena, 
and to this union five children were born, their names being as follows: 



5&2 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Emmons W., who is a farmer in this township; William B., who is a farmer 
of Richland county, Ohio; Fred R., who is a resident of Bloomville, Ohio; 
and Amelia A. and Howard, who have passed away. 

In politics Mr. Ross is a Republican and has filled a number of the local 
offices with credit to himself, notably those of justice of the peace for two 
terms and some five terms as township trustee. He is a member of the Meth- 
odist church, in which he is both trustee and class-leader and to which he 
'contributes most liberally. Mr. Ross is highly respected as a self-made man 
and as one of sterling character, upright and honorable in his citizenship and 
esteemed in every relation of life. 

GILBERT F. MALCOLM. 

A busy, useful and successful career has been that of Gilbert Ferris 
Malcolm, who is one of Crawford county's native sons and who has through- 
out his entire life been connected with the agricultural and stock-raising inter- 
ests of this locality. He stands to-day as one of the leading representatives 
of this department of labor and in his business affairs he is meeting with 
splendid success. 

A son of James Harvey and Elsie M. (Monnett) Malcolm, he was born 
on a farm in the southeastern portion of Bucyrus township, April 29, 1865, 
and there the days of his youth were passed. His father was an extensive 
farmer and stock-raiser and early he became familiar with the best methods 
of caring for stock and cultivating the fields. He pursued his education in 
the public schools, acquiring a good knowledge of the English branches of 
learning usually taught in such institutions. He was a stout and hearty 
youth and even at the early age of twelve years he was able to perform the 
labors usually assigned to a man. Between that time and his majority no man 
of the many employed on his father's farm ever did more hard labor than 
our subject. In fact, he has experienced many hardships and has done much 
difficult work. Learning in early life the value of industry and perseverance, 
he has made them salient features in his career and they have contributed in 
large measure to his prosperity. He continued to work and labor in the 
interests of his father with no salary or any agreement about the work until 
he was twenty-nine years of age. at which time he was given a fourth interest 
in the profits of his father's stock business and was also given two hundred 
and eighty acres of land. In the stock business he was associated with his 
father until the latter's death. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 563 

Mr. Malcolm remained under the parental roof until his marriage and 
just after the celebration of that event he removed with his young' bride 
to their present residence, situated on section 33, Bucyrus township, the place 
being known as the Ed Monnett homestead. Upon the death of his father, 
in June, 1900, he assumed the business control of the estate and now superin- 
tends the operation of nineteen hundred acres of land, of which he leases and 
cultivates six hundred and sixty-eight acres, all in one body and constitut- 
ing one of the finest farms in the entire county. In addition to this he op- 
erates his farm of two hundred and eighty acres, given him by his father on 
the twenty-ninth anniversary of his birth, and a tract of four hundred acres, 
which he owns in Dallas township and which adjoins his Bucyrus township 
land on the south. He is one of the largest, if not the largest, cattle 
feeders of the county, having at this time about two hundred and fifty head 
upon his farm. He buys all of the cattle which he feeds, and in addition he 
raises horses, mules and hogs on quite an extensive scale. He has a large 
frame barn with stone foundation and basement, a modern and convenient 
frame residence and other good improvements upon his place. 

On the 18th of February, 1897, Mr. Malcolm was married to Miss Eliza- 
beth Hinamon, a daughter of Fred Hinamon, of Marion county, Ohio, where 
occurred the birth of Mrs. Malcolm. Two children grace their union : Cath- 
erine Elsie and James Harvey. Their home is celebrated for its pleasing 
hospitality and their friends throughout the community are many and the 
circle is constantly increasing. In his political views Mr. Malcolm is a Re- 
publican and is a firm believer in the principles and policy of the part)-, but 
has never sought office as a reward for party allegiance. He prefers to give 
his time and attention to his business interests, which are extensive and im- 
portant, demanding capable management and keen business discernment in 
their control. He is widely regarded as a most enterprising farmer and stock- 
raiser, reliable in business and in all trade transactions, conducting his inter- 
ests along the lines of the strictest commercial honor. 

JOHN SHALTER. 

The once prominent citizen of Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, 
whose name is above, was born in Stark county, Ohio, December 30, 181 5, 
and died at his home in Lykens township, August 3, 1880. His parents died 
when he was three years of age and he lived with different families until he 
was able to begin the battle of life for himself. He passed his early life in? 



564 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

working at whatever he could find to do and in 1832 moved to Crawford 
county and took up eighty acres of government land in Lykens township, on 
which he built a log cabin, which a few years later he replaced by a more 
commodious log house, which in turn was superseded by the modern house 
which is the home of his daughters. At the time of his death he owned one 
hundred and fifty-five acres, which had been cleared and improved by his 
own industry. His wife died August 30, 1892, aged eighty-two years and 
six months. They were active workers in the church and useful citizens in the 
community. Mrs. Shatter was Miss Elizabeth Albaugh, of Jefferson county, 
Ohio, and she bore her husband thirteen children, the following informa- 
tion concerning whom will be of interest in this connection. Hiram, the 
first born, is a farmer in Texas township, Crawford county. John lives in 
Putnam county, Ohio. Abraham lives in Seneca county, Ohio. Saloma is 
the wife of Daniel C. Savage and lives at Cripple Creek, Colorado. Mary 
A., Levi, Catharine, Susannah, Emma and David are dead. Nancy, Lizzie 
and Delia live on their father's homestead. For several years the three were 
the proprietors of millinery stores at Bloomville and at other places in Ohio, 
and before that, for several vears, Delia was a successful teacher. 



ROBERT E. CROWLEY. 

Robert E. Crowley, who is a passenger conductor on the Big Four 
Railroad, was born in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, in 1849, an ^ ^ s a son 
of Robert Crowley, a native of Scotland. Having arrived at years of ma- 
turity, the father married Miss Agnes J. McCullough, also a native of the 
land of hills and heather, their wedding being celebrated in Edinburg. Cross- 
ing the Atlantic to America, they became residents of Schuylkill county. 
Pennsylvania, where occurred the birth of our subject. He spent his boy- 
hood days under the parental roof until fifteen years of age. when he ran 
away from home in order to aid his country in preserving the Union. On 
account of his extreme youth his parents withheld their consent for him to 
become a soldier, but his spirit of loyalty could not be checked and he there- 
fore quietly left the parental abode in 1864 and was enrolled as a member of 
the Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry. Five other boys of the neighborhood en- 
listed at the same time, but four of the number were killed or died in the 
service. Mr. Crowley was with Sheridan in the Shenandoah valley and did 
dispatch duty for a long time. This service was particularly arduous and 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 565 

dangerous, but he never faltered, although so young, and was ever found 
true to the trusts reposed in him and to the important work given into his 
charge. He was twice slightly wounded, and at the close of the war was 
mustered out at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, receiving an honorable discharge. 

Throughout the greater part of his business career Air. Crowley has been 
connected with railroad service, having been for twenty-eight years in the em- 
ploy of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Companv. 
He was on the road when it was known as the Bee line, and since 1873 he has 
been a conductor on what is now the Big Four Railroad, a part of the Vander- 
bilt system. For some years he acted as freight conductor between Gabon 
and Union City, Indiana, but since 1880 has been a passenger conductor, 
running to Indianapolis. During- all of the years of his connection with 
the road he has never had an accident, never been suspended and has never 
been reprimanded by railway authorities. It is a record of which he has 
every reason to be proud and one indicating close application and unques- 
tioned fidelity. 

Mr. Crowley was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Carrothers, a 
daughter of George Carrothers, who came from county Fermnagh, Ireland, 
to the new world when a lad of ten summers, accompanied by his parents, 
who located in Guernsey county, Ohio. This family of Carrothers were 
heirs to the Abercrombie castle and estates in Scotland. After some time 
spent in Guernsey county, George Carrothers removed to Noble county, from 
there to Morrow county, where his last days were passed. His widow is 
still living on a farm in that county, her home being seven miles from Gallon. 
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Crowley have been born five children : Agness Jane and 
Clyde W., twins, who died in infancy, at the ages of eight months and two 
years, respectively; Margaret, who is in Little Rock, Arkansas, acting as 
private secretary to Bishop Brown, of the Episcopal church. She was edu- 
cated in St. Mary's Episcopal school, at Knoxville, Illinois, being graduated 
with the class of 1898, in which she won class and valedictorian honors. She 
learned stenography and typewriting in three months, after which she ac- 
cepted her present position. Bishop Brown was residing in Gallon during her 
infancy and acted as her godfather and Mrs. Brown as godmother. There 
are also two sons in Mr. Crowley's family, — Forest Glenn and Robert Gar- 
field, — both of Galion, the latter now a student in the high school. 

Mr. Crowley is a Republican in his political views, and, though he takes 
no active part in campaign work, he believes firmly in the principles of the 
party and keeps well informed on the issues of the day. He was reared in 



566 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the Episcopal church and he and his family attend its services. Although 
his life has been quietly passed it contains many lessons worthy of emulation, 
as does that of every man, who, like Mr. Crowley, is true to his duties, to 
himself, to his neighbors and to his country. 

WILSON C. LEMERT. 

No adequate memorial of Colonel Wilson C. Lemert can be written until 
many of the useful enterprises with which he has been connected have com- 
pleted their full measure of good in the world and until his personal influ- 
ence and example shall have ceased their fruitage in the lives of those with 
whom he has been associated while an actor in the busy places of the world. 
Yet there is much concerning him that may with profit be set down here as 
an illustration of what can be done if a man with a clear brain and willing 
hands but seriously undertakes the real labors and responsibilities of life. 

Colonel Lemert is numbered among the native sons of Crawford county 
who have attained distinction and honor in connection with commercial and 
industrial interests. He was born upon a farm in Texas township, in 1837. 
His father, Louis Lemert, was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, August 
5, 1802, and was a son of Joshua Lemert, who was also a native of the Old 
Dominion, but whose parents were of German birth. Joshua Lemert was 
united in marriage, in Virginia, to Miss Mary Wright, and in 1808 emigrated 
to Ohio, settling on a farm in Coshocton county, Ohio. He served as an 
officer in the war of 181 2 and is said to have been the strongest man in the 
regiment. He died in Muskingum county, Ohio, in 1858. Lewis Lemert, the 
father of the Colonel, acquired a fair education in his youth, and on the 2d 
of January, 1823, was united in marriage to Miss Ruth Perdew, who was 
born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, April 4, 1802, a daughter of William 
and Rachel Perdew, who removed to Coshocton county, Ohio, in 181 6. In 
1826 Lewis Lemert came with his young wife to Crawford county and took 
up his abode on a farm in Texas township, where he won prosperity through 
the tilling of the soil. Both he and his wife were active members and liberal 
supporters of the Methodist church in an early day and they lived exemplary 
Christian lives. The father held various positions of public trust and ever 
merited the honor and confidence reposed in him. Their son, Joshua, was 
for three years a member of the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry at the time 
of the Civil war and for one year commanded his company, with the rank of 
captain. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 569 

Wilson C. Lemert pursued his preliminary education in the schools of 
Crawford county, later entered the Republic Academy, in Seneca county. 
Ohio, subsequently was a student in Heidelberg College, of Tiffin, Ohio, and 
was graudated in the Ohio Wesleyan University, in Delaware, with the class 
of 1858. In the following year he was graduated in the Cleveland Law Col- 
lege, and in i860 began the practice of his chosen profession in Greensburgv 
Indiana, but about a year later he put aside all personal considerations that 
he might aid his country, then engaged in civil war. 

During the first year of hostilities between the north and the south 
Wilson C. Lemert joined the Seventh Indiana Infantry, was chosen second 
lieutenant of his company, and during the first year of his services was pro- 
moted to first lieutenant and afterward to captain, receiving" the latter pro- 
motion in recognition of meritorious conduct on the battlefield of Winchester. 
In 1862 Governor Tod tendered him a major's commission in the Eighty- 
sixth Ohio* Volunteer Infantry, and in \ 863, on the reorganization of that 
regiment, he became its colonel. The regiment was assigned to the command 
of General Burnside, with the Ninth Army Corps and was active in the his- 
torical campaign of eastern Tennessee. Colonel Lemert was given command 
of the Third Brigade, Second Division, Ninth Army Corps, consisting of 
over seven thousand soldiers, including infantry, cavalry and artillery troops,, 
which constituted the Federal forces in the department of Clinch river. I J is 
headquarters were at Cumberland Gap, the strategic gateway of east Ten- 
nessee. Colonel Lemert continued in command of this brigade and a part of 
the time was acting commander of the division, until the expiration of his 
services in 1865. The movement of his troops formed an important chapter 
in the history of the war. He was a gallant officer, with a comprehensive 
and practical knowledge of military tactics. Ever fearless himself, he in- 
spired his men with his own bravery, yet he was never reckless in exposing 
them to needless danger. His loyalty was above question and he enjoyed 
the confidence of his superior officers and those who served under him. 

On his return from the war the Colonel entered upon a business career 
requiring generalship no less marked than that needed in commanding troops 
on the field of battle. It requires a master mind to plan, formulate and ex- 
ecute gigantic business enterprises, and this the Colonel has done. No citizen 
of Crawford county has been connected to a greater degree with important 
commercial and industrial concerns. In 1865 he was president and general 
manager of the Bellefontaine Cotton Company, eng'aged in raising' and trading 
in cotton in Mississippi and Alabama. From 1867 until 1877 he was a part- 
31 



5/0 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ner and manager in the business of A. M. Jones & Company, extensive manu- 
facturers of wagons, carriages and sleighs. In 1877 he became manager of 
the firm of McDonald & Company, railroad builders, who constructed and 
operated the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad. In 1878 he became president 
and manager of the Moxahala Furnace Company, of Perry county, Ohio, con- 
structed and opreated the plant and opened coal, iron-ore and fire-clay mines 
at Moxahala. During the same time he superintended the construction of 
the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad from Moxahala to Corning". He pur- 
chased the land, platted and built the town of Corning and there developed 
other coal mines, with a daily capacity of three thousand tons. In 1880 he 
completed the Corning mines and built the railroad from Corning to Buck- 
ingham, and raised by subscription along the line to Toledo one hundred 
thousand dollars to complete the line to Toledo and enlarge its equip- 
ment. He was appointed manager of the entire mining and railroad prop- 
erties and conducted the "Corning war" which resulted satisfactorily to 
miners and operators. During the same year he secured a location of the 
railroad machine shops at Bucyrus and purchased and reorganized the Bu- 
cyrus Manufacturing Company, which became large producers of mining 
and railway equipments, steam shovels and dredges. In 1881 he built an 
extension to the Ohio Central Railroad from Corning to the Ohio river, a 
distance of fifty-one miles. He also successfully operated extensive draft- 
horse ranches in Iowa and Colorado for ten years. He was appointed chief 
engineer on the staff of Governor Foster. In 1882 he built the St. Louis & 
Emporia Railroad, afterward a part of the Missouri Pacific system, and in 
1883 began the construction of a railroad from Findlay, Ohio, to Columbus, 
which was sold to the Ohio Central Railroad Company. He was also in- 
terested in the Nickel Plate enterprise, which was sold at a good profit to the 
Vanderbilts. 

Colonel Lemert organized the Northwestern Natural Gas Company, 
which supplied Toledo, Sandusky, Tiffin, Fostoria, Fremont, Clyde. P>ellville 
and Detroit with natural gas. Colonel Lemert then assumed the general 
supervision of the Price & Thomas natural gas plants in Ohio and Indiana, 
— at Springfield, Dayton, Piqua, Sidney. Troy and Lima, Ohio, and Fort 
Wayne, Logansport and Lafayette, Indiana. In 1887 he purchased, rebuilt 
and consolidated the gas and electric light properties at Bucyrus and in 1889 
purchased the brick machinery factory of Frey, Sheckler & Hoover, organiz- 
ing the Frey-Sheckler Company, which he later consolidated with the Pen- 
field & Son plant, at Willoughby, Ohio, the new organization being known 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 571 

as the American Clay Working Machinery Company. This company has 
enlarged its business until it now has the most extensive plant in the world 
in the manufacture of clay-working machinery. In 1894 Mr. Lemert pur- 
chased, combined and rebuilt the gas and electric light plant and the electric 
railroad at Fort Smith, Arkansas, so that the different concerns are now un- 
der one management. In addition to all his other interests the Colonel is a 
director in the First National Bank at Bucyrus. In his manifold under- 
takings he has prospered and is now able to retire with a comfortable 
fortune acquired through good management, close attention to business 
and careful economy. His relations with his employes have ever been 
of the most desirable character. His bearing is entirely free from os- 
tentation and there is a kindly interest manifest in his intercourse with 
those who serve him. He is generous in helping the needy and distressed, is 
quick to reward merit and is ever prompt in payment. 

Colonel Lemert was united in marriage to Miss Mary L. Jones, a daugh- 
ter of Dr. A. M. and Elizabeth Jones, of Bucyrus, and unto them were born 
two daughters, Katie E. and Blanche, but the former died on the 11th of 
March, 1896. The Colonel has traveled extensively, visiting many points 
of interest in Europe, continuing his travels to Palestine and looking upon 
the evidences of the ancient civilization of Africa. He has always preferred 
to control gigantic business enterprises rather than to enter politics and has 
declined many responsible positions of honor and trust. He has never held 
office, save when in 1866-7 he was postmaster of Bucyrus. The career of 
Colonel W. C. Lemert has ever been such as to warrant the trust and confidence 
of the business world, for he has ever conducted all transactions on the strict- 
est principles of honor and integrity. His devotion to the public good is un- 
questioned and arises from a sincere interest in the welfare of his fellow men. 
What the world needs is such men — men capable of managing extensive, gi- 
gantic mercantile concerns, and conducting business on terms that are fair 
alike to employer and employe — men of genuine worth, of unquestioned in- 
tegrity and honor, — and then the questions of oppression by capitalists and re- 
sistance and violence by laborers will be forever at rest. 

HENRY D. MILLER. 

Henry D. Miller, who is engaged in general farming, was born May 
25, 1869, on the farm in Lykens township, Crawford county, upon which he 
now resides. He is a son of Christian Miller, deceased. He attended the 



572 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

common schools in his youth and also assisted in the cultivation of the fields 
upon the old homestead, thus early becoming familiar with farm work in its 
various branches. When eighteen years of age he took charge of the old 
homestead, practical experience having well qualified him for the work. Since 
that time he has managed the farm, and its well cultivated fields and neat 
appearance indicate his careful supervision. He is an industrious, progress- 
ive farmer, and he annually harvests good crops. He now owns one hundred 
and seventeen acres of the old home place in Lykens township and is therefore 
numbered among the substantial young farmers of the community. 

On the 28th of November, 1895, Mr. Miller was united in marriage 
to Miss Ida Margraff, a daughter of Charles and Leah (Miller) Margraff, 
and they now have one child, Donna Blanche, who is a most interesting mem- 
ber of the household. Mr. Miller is well known in Crawford county and his 
fellow citizens of Lykens township have honored him with office. He served 
as assessor in 1894 and 1895, and in his political affiliations he is a Democrat. 
His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Reformed church,, 
and he holds social relations with the Knights of Pythias lodge of Lykens. 
He is a charter member of the organization and has filled all of its offices. 
A wide-awake and progressive fanner, he well deserves mention in the his- 
tory of his native county. 



ABRAHAM MONNETT. 

Abraham Monnett was for many veai's a prominent resident of Craw- 
ford county, but the boundaries of the locality in which he made his home 
were too limited for the capabilities of such a man. He was a typical repre- 
sentative of the Aemrican spirit, which within the past century has achieved 
a work which arouses at once the astonishment and admiration of the world. 
Crawford county was fortunate in that he allied his interests with hers, for 
his labors proved of benefit to the entire community, as well as resulting to- 
his individual prosperity. The marvelous development of the middle west is 
due to such men, whose indomitable energy and progressive spirit have 
overcome all obstacles and reached the goal of success. He was not so ab- 
normally developed as to be called a genius, but was one of the strongest be- 
cause one of the best balanced, the most even and self-masterful of men, and he 
acted so well his part in both public and private life that Ohio as well as Bucy- 
rus has been enriched by his example, his character and his labor. When he was 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 573 

called from this life the community mourned the loss of one of its most valued 
and honored citizens. 

Abraham Monnett was born October 12, 181 1, in Virginia, near the 
Maryland line, and was a son of the Rev. Jeremiah and Aley ( Slagle) Mon- 
nett, who, in 1 8 14, left the south and with their family came to Ohio, locat- 
ing in Pickaway county, where Abraham Monnett grew to manhood, early 
displaying his active and energetic disposition, his strong will and decisive 
character. 'With few local advantages he yet obtained a good education, 
reading, observation and experience continually supplementing his knowledge 
until he became a well informed man. He took an active interest in local 
affairs and was made first lieutenant of a militia company commanded by 
Captain Berkley. He aided in everything pertaining to the public progress 
and development, and his worth to the community was widely acknowledged. 
In earl)- life he purchased forty acres of land in Scott township, Marion coun- 
ty, Ohio, where he began farming on his own account. On the 9th of June, 
1830, in Pickaway county, Ohio, he was united in marriage to Miss Catherine 
Braucher, who in her fourth year was left an orphan and inherited three thou- 
sand dollars, which helped to lay the foundation of his financial success. 
This, together with a small sum received from his father, was the only part 
of his large fortune which Air. Monnett did not accumulate through his own 
industry, energy and economy. In 1838 he began buying stock in Illinois 
and driving the cattle to his farm in Crawford and Marion counties, Ohio. 
His operations in this line of business proved very successful and he contin- 
ually added to his income until he became one of the wealthiest men in this 
portion of the state. He assisted in organizing the Marion County Bank, and 
was its president from 1864 until 1881. In 1879, in connectionn with Mr. 
Hall, he organized the Crawford County Bank, of Bucyrus, was made its chief 
officer and acted in that capacity until his death. The successful conduct of 
the enterprise was due to his efforts, his capable management and his keen 
business discernment, and he made the institution one of the most reliable 
financial concerns in this part of the state. As the years passed he also in- 
creased his landed possessions by making judicious investments in farm 
property and became the owner of over eight thousand acres of land in 
Marion and Crawford counties. 

By his first marriage Mr. Monnett became the father of twelve chil- 
dren, namely: Ephraim B., who is now living in Bucyrus, Crawford county; 
Martha, wife of G. H. Wright, a resident of Marion, Ohio ; Oliver, who also 
is living in Marion; John T., who makes his home in Marion county; Elsie, 



574 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

widow of James H Malcolm, of Bucyrus; Augustus E., who is living- in 
Colorado; Mervin ]., who makes his home near Central City, Nebraska; Mary 
J., wife of J. G. Hull, of Findlay, Ohio; Madison W., of Michigan; Melvin 
H., who resides in Marion county; Amina J., wife of Judge J. C. Tobias, of 
Bucyrus ; and Kate, wife of Linus H. Ross, of Delaware, Ohio. The mother of 
this family was called to her final rest February 8, 1875. She was a woman 
of sterling qualities of mind and heart, a worthy and faithful wife, and a most 
kind, just and affectionate mother. On the 30th of May, 1877, Mr. Mon- 
nett was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Jane L. Johnston, 
a most estimable lady, whose family history is given elsewhere in this volume. 
Mr. Monnett was a supporter of the Republican party, but the honors and 
emoluments of office had no attraction for him. He belonged to the Method- 
ist Episcopal church, and his life was ever in harmony with its teaching's and 
principles. His history contains man)- valuable lessons. It is impossible to 
keep a man of merit in the background, although his early surroundings were 
not such as to win him prominence. A progressive spirit knows no bounds, 
and ability has no limitations of time, place or space. The man who has no 
opportunities makes them and molds adverse conditions to his own ends. 
Such characterictics won for Mr. Monnett a place among the most prominent, 
successful and reliable business men of his portion of the state. As a man 
his lousiness ability was constantly manifest, and his operations in land as 
well as the banking business became extensive. His advancement resulted 
from determined purpose, resolute will and keen sagacity, combined with un- 
faltering industry, and he won a place among the most prosperous residents of 
Crawford county. His affairs were ever conducted along' the line of legiti- 
mate trade, and over the record of his career there falls no shadow of wrong 
or suspicion of evil. He passed away March 19, 1881, and the community 
mourned the loss of one whom they had learned to respect and honor. 

JAMES H. ROBINSON. 

There are no rules for building character; there is no rule for achieving 
success. A man who can rise to a position of eminence is he who can see and 
utilize the opportunities that surround his path. The essential conditions of 
human life are ever the same and the surroundings of individuals differ but 
little, so that when one man passes another on the highway of life, reaching the 
goal of prosperity before those who, perhaps, started out ahead of him, it is 
because he has the power to use advantages which probably encompass the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 57 S 

whole human race. To-day among the most prominent business men of 
Crawford county stands James Henry Robinson, the vice-president of the 
Bucyrus State Bank and a man whose influence in business and political circles 
has been far-reaching". The history of such a man cannot fail to be of wide- 
spread interest, for he ranks high among the representative citizens of this 
portion of the state. 

Mr. Robinson was born on the home farm in Chatfield township, Crawfi »rcl 
county, February 22, 1839, and manifests in his life many of the sterling 
characteristics of his Scotch ancestry, — for the family is of Scotch lineage. 
The great-grandfather, John Robinson, was born in the land of hills and 
heather, and when a young man crossed the Atlantic to America, locating in 
Virginia, where he met and married Miss Stout, whose parents came to the 
new world from the Emerald isle. Mr. Robinson was at one time captured 
by the Indians in Virginia and brought by them to Ohio. They intended to 
burn him at the stake, but for some reason changed this decision, and he finally 
escaped, but four of his companions were killed. John Robinson, Jr., the 
grandfather of our subject, was a native of Virginia, and on leaving the Old 
Dominion emigrated westward to Coshocton count}-, Ohio, casting in his lot 
among its early settlers. In 1825 he came to Crawford county, bringing with 
him his family. James M. Robinson, the father of our subject, was born in 
1807, near Wheeling, West Virginia. He wedded Alary E. Cooper, and In 
1825 came to Crawford county, taking up his abode on a farm in Chatfield 
township, where the birth of our subject afterward occurred. He died in 1874, 
at the age of sixty-seven years, and his wife passed away May 15, 1852, at the 
age of forty-two years. They had two sons who served in the Civil war, both 
having been members of the Third Ohio Cavalry. They are now deceased, 
having passed away in Michigan in 1883. One daughter of the family. Mel- 
vina J., became the wife of E. Clady, of Chatfield township, and died in 1872 : 
Nathan J. died in Crawford county in 1874; and Alpheus D. is now living in 
Paulding county, Ohic. 

James Henry Robinson, whose name introduces this record, was the 
second of the family. He pursued his education in Chatfield and in the 
Otterbein University at Westerville. He was a student for two years. Sub- 
sequently he engaged in teaching eight terms of school in Chatfield, giving ex- 
cellent satisfaction through his ability to maintain discipline and to impart 
with readiness and clearness to others the know ledge he had acquired. He has 
many times been called to public office, where he has served with ability and 
fidelity. He was township clerk of Chatfield township, and for two terms held 



576 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the office of county surveyor. In the meantime he had engaged in merchan- 
dising at Chatfield for ten years, and in 1876 he became identified with indus- 
trial interests in Bucyrus as the secretary and treasurer of the Franz & Pope 
Knitting Machine Company, in which capacity he served for one year. In 
1876 he also became county auditor, and filled that position for six consecutive 
years, or until 1882. On the 1st of January, 1886, he became cashier of the 
Bucyrus City Bank, acting in that capacity for fifteen years, or until the 1st 
of January, 1900, when he was elected vice-president. The success and growth 
of this institution is largely due to his efforts. He has been untiring in pro- 
moting its welfare, and his genial manner and unfailing courtesy have made 
him a popular officer of the institution, while his well-known reliability has 
added to its high standing in financial circles. 

Mr. Robinson was married in Craw ford count)', to Miss Louisa Hipp, a 
daughter of Frederick and Catherine ( Kunzi ) Hipp, of Bucyrus. Her father 
is a director of the Bucyrus City Bank and ex-probate judge of the county. 
Their marriage has been blessed with two children : Francis Marion, who 
died in 1871, at the age of five years, and Minnie M., now the wife of F. B. 
Lauck, of Bucyrus. In his political affiliations Mr. Robinson is a Democrat, 
and socially he is connected with the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the blue 
lodge, chapter and commandery. lie also has membership relations with the 
Odd Fellows society, in which he has passed all the chairs, and in the Knights 
of Pythias lodge, of Bucyrus, he was the first past chancellor. He holds mem- 
bership relations in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and also the 
English Lutheran church. In all life's relations he has commanded the respect 
and confidence of those with whom he has been associated. Regarded as a 
citizen, he belongs to that public-spirited, useful and helpful type of men whose 
ambitions and desires are directed in those channels through which flow the 
greatest and most permanent good to the greatest number, and it is, therefore, 
consistent* with the purpose and plan of this work that his record be given 
among those of the representative men of the state. 

CHARLES R. SHECKLER, M. D. 

The family physician sustains a peculiarly confidential relation to his fel- 
low citizens, and if he be a man of tact and honor comes in time to lie their 
confidant and adviser in many matters of importance. Such a well-established, 
useful citizen is Dr. Charles R. Sheckler, of Brokensword, Crawford county, 
Ohio. 



. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 577 

Dr. Sheckler was born at Bucyrus, Ohio, March 7, 1856, a son of Edward 
Scheckler, a native of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and a tailor by trade, 
who located early at Bucyrus and there married Adaline G. Shawk, who bore 
him four children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the first born. 
Their daughter Nettie became the wife of E. J. Williams, of Holmes township, 
Crawford county. Their sons Thompson and Edward became farmers. Their 
son Charles R. received his primary education in the public schools at Bucyrus, 
and when about fifteen years of age began reading medicine under the precep- 
torship of Dr. A. Cuykendall, of that town. He was graduated in the Colum- 
bus Medical College in 1877, at the age of twenty-one years. After practicing 
his profession five years at North Robinson, Crawford county, he located at 
Brokensword, where he has met with gratifying success. He affiliates with 
the Democratic party, but is not a practical politician, preferring to give his 
time entirely to his profession. He was married in 1881 to Miss Catharine 
Bogan, and they have three children, named Ralph, Ada and Archibald. 

JOHN F. SMITH. 

The subject of this sketch is of that sturdy German stock which in all 
parts of our country has developed good citizenship and done its full share 
in bringing about general progress and prosperity. Mr. Smith was born in 
Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, June 22, 1840, a son of Frederick 
Smith, a native of Germany, who married Christina Lipman, who bore him 
six children : Lewis lives in Lykens township; Hiram is dead; John F. was the 
next in order of birth ; Adolphus lives at Aurora, Illinois; and Clara is the wife 
of Joseph Laipply, of Chatfield township, Crawford county, Ohio. A sixth 
child died in infancy. 

Frederick Smith came to America in 1832 and located at Columbus, Ohio, 
where he worked as a stone and brick mason until 1840, when he bought one 
hundred and sixty acres of land in Lykens township, Crawford count}', and 
engaged in farming. The land had no improvements and was practically wild 
and cost him six hundred dollars. He lost no time in erecting a hewn-log 
house and in beginning the work of improvement and cultivation. His wife 
died at the age of thirty-four years and he married Lucy A. Shupp, who bore 
him the following children: Cornelius, Frederick T., Henry, Jefferson, L. M., 
Matilda, Catherine, Lucy. Emma and Sarepta. He became a prominent man 
in the township and died at the age of sixty-two years. 

The subject of this sketch was born and reared on his father's homestead 



578 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

in Lykens township and was brought up to farm work and received his edu- 
cation in the public schools. At the age of twenty-two years he began a prac- 
tical apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade. After working as a journeyman 
carpenter for eight years he engaged in contracting and building, which he 
followed successfully until 1881, when he bought his father's old home farm of 
one hundred and sixty acres, on which he lived until 1895, when he retired from 
active life and removed to Brokensword, Lykens township, where he has made 
his home to the present time. 

In 1S65 Air. Smith married Melinda Shupp, and of their children we ob- 
serve that Lulu married Edward Pfetcher ; Laura married Wesley Lust ; Hor- 
ace J. married Ida Fralick and lives in Lykens township ; Lucy Edith and 
Hiram are dead ; Learra married George Lecrove, a farmer of Lykens town- 
ship ; Lottie L. and Lestie B. are members of their father's household; and 
Linna is dead. The mother of these children died April 22, 1887, ac tne a §' e 
of forty years. She was a woman of many virtues, who- was dearly beloved 
by all who knew her, and, like her husband, was a consistent member of the 
Evangelical church. Mr. Smith has been prominent in township affairs and 
has in many ways shown his public spirit. At one time he held the office of 
township trustee. In politics he is identified with the Democratic party. He 
has always been a hard-working man and has achieved success by means of in- 
dustry and a good name by fair and upright living. 



DAVID CRUM. 

David Crum is now living a retired life, and his rest is well merited, for 
through a long period he was an active and energetic factor in agricultural 
circles in Crawford county. His industry, perseverance and energy were the 
means of bringing to him success, enabling him to> overcome many obstacles 
and difficulties in the path to prosperity. Over the record of his business and 
private life there falls no shadow of wrong, and thus he enjoys the warm re- 
gard of many friends. 

Mr. Crum is a native of the Keystone state, his birth having occurred in 
Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, on the 8th of July, 1829. The family is of 
German lineage and was founded in America by the grandfather of our sub- 
ject. Our subject's father, Leonard Crum, was born in the same state, in 
1786, and there grew to manhood, learning the wagonmaker's trade in his 
youth. For a short time he followed that business and also conducted a small 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 579 

distillery, but this covered a period of only a few years, after which he retired 
from the distillery businesss and located upon a farm in Dauphin county, where 
he resided throughout the residue of his days, his death occurring in 1869. 
He was twice married, his first wife having been a Miss Hain, by whom he 
had four children, all of whom are now deceased. He afterward wedded 
Catherine Stine, and unto them were born twelve children, but only five are 
now living: Jonas L., a retired farmer of Decatur. Illinois; David; Sarah E., 
wife of Samuel Crum, of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania; Rebecca, wife of 
Samuel Swartz, also of Dauphin county; and Benjamin, who is living in 
Progress, that county. Air. Crum was enabled to provide comfortably for his 
family, for in his farming operations he prospered, acquiring possession of 
three hundred and nine acres of valuable land in Dauphin county. He was also 
one of the influential and representative residents of his locality, and until his 
fortieth year he was a member of the Lutheran church, but ab~ut that time he 
became converted t<> the Evangelical faith and remained a consistent membei 
of that denomination up to the time of his death, serving through a long period 
as deacon and elder in the church. His early political views were in harmony 
with the principles of the Whig party, and on its dissolution he joined the ranks 
of the Republican party. The mother of our subject was born in Dauphin 
county, Pennsvlvania, in 1795, and, like her husband, was of German lineage. 
She, too, was an active member of the Evangelical church, and died in [887, 
at the age of eighty-two years. 

David Crum mastered the branches of English learning and taught in the 
common schools and received his training at farm labor on the old homestead. 
He was married October 4, 1849, tne lady of his choice being Miss Mary Crall, 
a native of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Christian and 
Elizabeth (Hanshew) Crall. Her father was a native of Dauphin county, 
Pennsylvania, born November 13, 1805. and her mother was born in Cumber- 
land county. November 27, 1804. In 1855 they emigrated to Crawford 
county, Ohio, purchasing- the old Conkle farm in Liberty township, where Mr. 
Crall carried on agricultural pursuits until within thirteen years of his death. 
His wife died August 29, 1884, and he then made his home among his chil- 
dren until his demise, on the 27th of September, 1892. Both were members 
of the United Brethren church and were people of the highest respectability. 
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Crum were born thirteen children, of whom eight yet sur- 
vive, namely: Mary A., the wife of William Caris, of Bucyrus ; Elmira, wife 
pf F. M. Lash, a farmer of Auburn township; Ellen, the wife of Joseph Bu- 
cher, of Liberty township ; Sarah, who married C. C. Heller, of Liberty town- 



5 8o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ship; Willis A., a practicing physician of Carey, Ohio; Myrtle, wife of W. C. 
.McCullough, of Bucyrus; and Cora E. and Hayes C, at home. 

After his marriage Mr. Crum took his bride to a farm belonging to his 
father in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, and there carried on agricultural pur- 
suits for six years. He also engaged in the butchering business to seme ex- 
tent during the winter months, erecting a stall in the Harrisburg market house. 
In the spring of 1856 he came to Crawford county, Ohio, and purchased the 
Samuel Smalley farm of ninety-eight and a half acres in Liberty township. 
This he still owns. With the exception of three years, during which time he 
was engaged in the butchering business in Bucyrus. he resided upon his farm 
continuously until 1888, when he purchased four lots in Sulphur Springs. 
Upon this land stands his present residence, and it has been his home continu- 
ously since. While living in Bucyrus he engaged in the live-stock business, 
continuing in that line of trade for fifteen or twenty years, and thus he added 
materially to his income derived from his farming operations. At the present 
time, however, he is living retired, having acquired a handsome competence, 
which enables him to put aside the more arduous duties of business life and 
spend his remaining days in ease and quiet. His political support is given the 
Republican party, and on that ticket he was elected a member of the township 
board of trustees for several terms. He and his wife are consistent and faith- 
ful members of the United Brethren church, of which he served as trustee, 
■class-leader and superintendent for a number of years. His life has ever been 
in harmony with his professions, being guided by sound judgment, honesty 
and integrity. 

JOHN MOORE. 

For more than half a centurv John Moore has resided upon the farm which 
is now his place of residence and is therefore to be numbered among the early 
settlers of Crawford county. Through many decades he has been identified 
with agricultural interests in the Buckeye state and is still interested in farm- 
ling. giving his personal supervision to the cultivation of his land. He was 
born near Hagerstown, in Harrison county, Ohio 1 , July 7, 1823, and is a son 
•of Morris Moore, whose birth occurred in New Jersey, where he was reared 
and married Hannah Davis. They became the parents of thirteen children, 
of whom seven are now living. The record is: Mary A., now deceased; 
George, who died in infancy; John, our subject; George Davis, deceased; 
Elizabeth, the wife of Thomas Kemp, of Seneca county, Ohio; Morris, who 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 5 Si. 

died in hospital while in the Civil war; Margaret, who married Finley Leon- 
ard and is living near Attica, Ohio; Martha and Hannah, both deceased;. 
Louisa, the widow of Josiah Haughman, of Attica; David Bennett, of Frank- 
lin county, Ohio, who served during the Civil war with the One Hun- 
dred and Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry; Frank, who is living in Kan- 
sas ; and Theodore, who makes his home in Indiana. 

In 1823 the father moved from New Jersey to Ohio and entered a tract 
of land from the government in Harrison county, where he remained until the 
fall of 1833, when he went on horseback to Seneca comity and there entered 
one hundred and sixty acres of government land, near Caroline. The follow- 
ing year he removed his family to the new place and there he built a double 
log cabin of two rooms. The land was covered with heavy timber and it was 
an arduous task to develop the farm. In 1850 he took up his abode in Attica, 
Ohio, where he lived retired until his death, which ocurred when he was eighty- 
seven years of age. He aided in laying out roads, building school houses and 
in other work of progress and improvement which resulted to the benefit of 
the community, and he was an active member and earnest worker in the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church. 

When eleven years of age Mr. Moore, of this review, accompanied his 
parents to Seneca county and there he began to assist in the difficult task of 
cutting away the timber and preparing the fields for cultivation. He remained 
at home until his marriage, which occurred in 1845, tne lady of his choice be- 
ing Miss Sarah R. McLaughlin, a daughter of Joseph McLaughlin, a native, 
of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. He was a son of James McLaughlin, 
who was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war, as was also Mr. James 
Fisher, the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Moore. Her paternal grandmother 
was Mary Mackey, and her maternal grandmother was Mary Kiester. Mr. 
Fisher spent the winter at Valley Forge and participated in many important 
battles, and, coming to this state, he ran the first boat on the Ohio river. Jo- 
seph McLaughlin served in the war of 1812. Mrs. Moore became a resident 
of Seneca count}- when seventeen years of age and attended a subscription 
school, held in a log school-house in Columbiana county, to which she walked 
a distance of three and a half miles. She is a member of the Presbyterian 
church and a most estimable lady, who has been to her husband a faithful 
companion and helpmate on the journey of life. They have become the parents 
of four children: Eliza J., deceased, who married Charles Meeker; Hannah 
A., deceased, who married John Melroy ; Sarah, who became the wife of John 
P. Yingling; and Delia, who died at the age of nine years. 



582 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

After his marriage Mr. Moore rented land in the vicinity of Bucyrus for 
two years and in 1848 purchased the farm which he now owns and operates 
and which has been his place of abode since 1849. He paid four hundred dol- 
lars for eighty acres of land, upon which he erected a hewed-log house of one 
room in the yard where his present residence is located. Oak. beech, basswood 
and maple trees stood upon the place, which was heavily timbered. Mr. Moore 
has cleared sixty acres of his land and has made excellent improvements. When 
he came here he owned no horses and worked out for others until he could get 
the money with which to purchase a team. He has since carried on general 
farming and all that he possesses has come to him as the direct result of his 
own labor. His life has indeed been a busy and useful one and prosperity has 
rewarded his efforts. 

In his political views Mr. Moore is a Republican and he has served as 
schoool director and supervisor. As a citizen he has ever been public-spirited 
and progressive, manifesting an earnest interest in everything pertaining to the 
welfare of the community and to progress along material, social, educational 
and moral lines. His has been an upright life, worthy of emulation. 

EDWARD FRALICK. 

Among the pioneer families who came to Crawford county when this por- 
tion of the state was largely an undeveloped region and aided in laying broad 
and deep the foundations for the present prosperity and progress of the county 
were the Fralicks, and since 1839 the name has been honorably and inseparably 
interwoven with the history of the community. The subject of this review 
was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, December 22, 1834. His father, 
David Fralick, also a native of that state, was there married to 1 Elizabeth Gar- 
rett and they became the parents of four children, of whom Edward is the 
eldest. David, the second, is now a farmer of Lykens township. Levina, the 
third, married Joseph Rank, and after his death became the wife of Benjamin 
Witmire, her death occurring in 1897. Henry, the youngest of the family, 
is living in Lykens township. It was in 1839 that the father, with his wife 
and children, left his old home in the Keystone state and with a one-horse 
wagon traveled to Ohio, settling first in Richland county, where he purchased 
four acres of land. He was a weaver by trade and followed that pursuit in 
Richland county for a few years, after which he came to Crawford county and 
bought a forty-acre tract of wild land in Holmes township. Upon the place 
he erected a log cabin, and into this the family moved before there were doors 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 5«3 

or windows in the structure. After three years, however, David Fralick, Sr., 
returned to Richland county, where he rented land for a time and then re- 
turned to Crawford county and purchased one hundred acres in Lykens town- 
ship. The home here was also a log house, in poor condition, but soon he 
erected a substantial log house, which is still standing, and in which he made 
his home until his death, which occurred in 1876, when he was seventy-eight 
years of age. His wife, surviving him several years, died in 1888, past the 
age of seventv. She was a consistent member of the Reformed church and 
a most estimable lady, sharing with her husband in the high regard in which 
he was uniformly held. 

Reared to farm life, Edward Fralick soon became familiar with the 
work of clearing and cultivating the fields and harvesting the crops, and on the 
old homestead he remained until his marriage, which occurred March 19, 1861, 
the lady of his choice being Miss Sarah Porter, a native of Lykens township 
and a daughter of Edward and Rachel ( Shupp ) Porter. Her father was a 
school teacher in Crawford county in an early clay and also served as justice 
of the peace. He came to Crawford county at a period of its primitive de- 
velopment and from the government entered eighty acres of wild land, upon 
which Henry Fralick now resides. There he developed his farm, reared his 
family of nine children and made his home until his death, in 1849. His 
wife died in June, 1897, at the age of eighty-three years, and thus passed away 
one of the honored pioneer couples. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Fralick 
has been blessed with four children: Jerome E., who resides in Fremont, 
Indiana; Clara; William Porter, a farmer of Holmes township; and Hattie 
A. The daughters are unmarried and at home. 

The first year after his marriage Mr. Fralick resided upon his father's 
farm, and on the expiration of that period he and his brother David pur- 
chased ninety-three acres of land in Holmes township, where they made many 
improvements, developing an excellent farm, upon which our subject resided 
until 1896, when he came to his present home in Lykens township. He owns 
thirty-eight acres of land here and one hundred and thirty-eight acres in 
Holmes township, and his property has all been acquired through his own 
exertions. It is fertile land, highly cultivated, and the fields return to him a 
golden harvest. His business ability and untiring energy are the foundation 
stones upon which he has reared the structure o>f his success, and his example 
in this regard, as well as in many other ways, is well worth}' of emulation. 

In his political preference Mr. Fralick is a Democrat, and keeps well in- 
formed regarding the political questions of the time, but has never sought or 



584 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

desired public office. His wife and family are identified with the Protestant 
faith, and in the community they are well known and highly esteemed, the 
possession of many admirable characteristics winning for Mr. Fralick the envi- 
able regard of those with whom he has come in contact through the long resi- 
dence in Crawford county, which classes him among its early settlers. 

THOMAS J. MONNETT. 

The influence which Thomas J. Monnett had upon the material and moral 
development of Crawford county was very great. As a minister of the 
gospel he labored for the spiritual welfare of the people, and at the same time 
he was an active factor in many movements and enterprises which contributed 
to the prosperity and happiness of the people among whom he lived and by 
whom he was ever held in the highest esteem. He departed this life in 
Crawford county, in May, 1901, and the community thereby lost one of its 
.most valued citizens. 

"His life was noble and the elements 
So mixed in him that Nature might stand up 
And say to all the world 'This was a man.' " 

Thomas J. Monnett w r as born in Pickaway county, Ohio, January 26, 
1826, a son of the Rev. Jeremiah and Alcy ( Slagle) Monnett. When he was 
nine years of age his parents removed to Crawford county and settled on "the 
plains" south of Bucyrus. The}' were among* the pioneers of the county and 
aided in its primitive development, assisting to lay broad and deep the founda- 
tion upon which its present prosperity and progress rests. In the country 
schools such as were common at that time the son Thomas pursued his studies, 
mastering the branches of learning which were taught in such institutions. 
He afterward attended the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, in 1845, 
and subsequent to his return home engaged in teaching school. He studied 
medicine to some extent, but under the direction of his father, who was a 
Methodist minister, he prepared for that holy calling and was at length 
licensed to preach for the same denomination. For many years he pro- 
claimed the "glad tidings of great joy" among the people of Ohio, acting as 
pastor of the Methodist churches at Fostoria, Kenton, Upper Sandusky and 
other places. At Fostoria he was associated with G. W. Collier, now chap- 
lain in the United States army, located at Columbus, Ohio. In 1861 he be- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 5§S 

came superanuated and thereafter, not being in good health, his ministerial 
labors were not consecutive, although he never lost his deep interest in 
Christian work and did much to advance the cause of the church. 

In 1 86 1 Mr. Monnett located upon his farm in Bucyrus township and 
became a successful ami extensive agriculturist and stock-raiser, but his efforts 
were not confined alone to this line. He was interested in the Bucyrus 
Woolen Mills, the Bucyrus Gas works, together with other enterprises, and 
his business and executive ability made his advice and management of value 
in the successful control of such industrial concerns. 

Mr. Monnett was married, in 1848, to Miss Henrietta Johnston, of 
Crawford county, and unto them were born the following named children: 
Webster, who died in childhood ; Orwin Bruce ; William A. ; Francis S. ; John 
G., who died at the age of nineteen years ; Efhe. who was the wife of Hon. S. 
W. Bemalt and died November 20, 1898; and Agnes, who died in childhood. 
The mother departed this life November 22, 1871. at the age of forty-two 
years, and on the 4th of September, 1873. Mr. Monnett was joined in wed- 
lock to Sarah Rexroth, who was one of the early school teachers of the 
county. In politics he was always a stalwart Republican and supported his 
position by intelligent argument, always keeping well informed on the issues 
of the day. During his work in the ministry he was an earnest, forceful and 
convincing speaker and his influence was widely felt. In business he was 
industrious, determined and straightforward and thereby won prosperity. 
During the last few years of his life he lived retired in Bucyrus. He was a 
man whom to know was to respect and honor, and his career furnishes an 
example well worthy of emulation. 

WILLIAM M. GEIGER. 

William M. Geiger was born in Bloom township, Seneca county. Ohio, 
February 1, 1846, a son of Henry and Christina ( Zuderoem) Geiger. Henry 
Geiger, a native of Germany, was brought # to America by his father, Jacob 
Geiger, when he was thirteen years old. The family located in Stark county, 
Ohio, where Jacob Geiger lived out his days and died. Henry Geiger began 
his active life in Stark county as a farm hand, doing work by the month. In 
1835 he located in Bloom township, Seneca county, where, after filing his claim 
to one hundred and sixty acres of government land, he began a fight for for- 
tune with one dollar in money and an ax. and little else, — without a team, 
which would have made his labors easier. He managed to erect a log cabin, 

32 



586 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

but having no stove was obliged during the first two years of his residence 
there to cook beside a convenient stump. For a time he had no neighbors ex- 
cept George Weickley and Jacob Hosier and a Mr. Troxel. The three were 
the first settlers in Bloom township. At his death Mr. Geiger owned two hun- 
dred and forty-seven acres of improved land, which was regarded as one of 
the best farms in Seneca county He died in 1882, in his seventieth year. He 
was a member of the Dutch Reformed church and was influential in all public 
affairs. The following brief mention of each of his eight children will be found 
interesting in this connection : Conrad lives in Fulton county, Ohio. Catharine 
is dead. Jacob lives in Bloomville, Ohio. Maria is the wife of Nelson Shaff- 
ner, of Bloom township. Seneca county, Ohio. Of William M., who is the im- 
mediate subject of this sketch, mure will be said hereafter. Henry lives in 
Indiana. Madison is a resident of Wyandot county, Ohio. Jacob, who is the 
owner of his father's homestead, is one of the prominent men in Seneca coun- 
ty and is president of the Sycamore Bank and of the Bloomville Bank. 

Wiliam M. Geiger was reared on his father's homestead in Seneca county, 
Ohio, and remained there until 1869, when, at the age of about twenty-five 
years, he married Miss Maria Lebold, and moved upon an eighty-acre farm in 
Bloom township. He remained there a year and then he removed to his pres- 
ent home farm in Lykens township, Crawford county, which he purchased of 
William Hanks, and which contains one hundred and fort}' acres; and this, 
added to fifty acres which is comprised in another farm that he owns, gives 
him an aggregate of one hundred and ninety acres. He carries on general 
farming and stock-raising on a large scale and with a satisfactory percentage 
of profit. 

Though he has persistently refused to accept any public office, he is, as a 
Democrat, interested in all public" questions and his public spirit is such that he 
is at all times ready to assist to the extent of his ability any movement for the 
general good. He was a charter member of Wren Lodge, No. 530, Knights 
of Pythias, of Lykens Ohio, has helled every chair in that body and has been 
a representative of the order in th.e grand, lodge. 

Mr. Geiger was educated in the common schools in Vogue during his boy- 
hood and has many interesting reminiscences of days spent beneath the low 
roof of the log school-house. For some time after his father came into the 
neighborhood wild game was plenty and at times wild turkeys roosted on the 
roof of his cabin. Mr. Geiger still owns two of the first set of chairs in use 
in his father's house. His father was a man of good character and good busi- 
ness ability and expert knowledge, and these qualities constituted the founda- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 587 

tion stone upon which William M. Geiger, our subject, built the success which 
has made him well known in his part of the state. 

Air. and Mrs. Geiger have had four children. Their daughter Bertha D. 
is a member of their household. Their sen Nelson E. was graduated at the 
Ada Commercial College, at Ada, Hardin county, Ohio, and married Margaret 
Johnston and lives on the old Gingling homestead, a line farm of one hundred 
acres. Miss Emma Geiger died at the age of nineteen years : and Mr. and Mrs. 
Geiger lost a son named Edward, who died when he was thirteen years old. 

JOHN A. SMITH. 

Throughout his entire life John A. Smith has resided in Crawford county 
and therefore his record is well known to many of its citizens, by whom he is 
regarded as a man of sterling worth, his industry, energy and reliability hav- 
ing won for him the merited regard of his fellow men. He was born in Jack- 
son, now Jefferson, township, Jul}- 24, 1837, his parents being George and 
Hannah (Chisholm) Smith. His paternal great-grandfather. John Joseph 
Smith, was born in Baden, Germany, November 8, 1736, and there resided un- 
til late in life, when he came to America, but he was not long permitted to en- 
joy his new home, his death occurring soon afterward, on the 16th of Novem- 
ber, 1813, when he had attained the age of seventy-seven years His wife, Mrs. 
Catherine Smith, was born August 8, 1736, and died November 11, 1819. 
Their son, John Joseph Smith, grandfather of our subject, was born in Baden, 
Germany, July 25, 1767. and just before attaining his twenty-first year O'f 
was married. To avoid military service he came to America in the spring )f 
1788 and purchased a small farm in Perry county, Pennsylvania. To this he 
added in later years until his landed possessions were quite extensive. Bv oc- 
cupation he was a weaver. PI is death occurred July 9, 1836. He was an ardent 
member and a local preacher of the United Brethren church and was a man 
highly respected for his many virtues. 

The father of our subject was born in Perry county, Pennsylvania, Janu- 
ary 10, 1803, and was a son of John Jacob and Elizabeth ( Fisher) Smith. In 
his native county he was reared and there learned the shoemaker's trade, which 
he followed through the winter months while in the summer season he assisted 
in the cultivation and improvement of his father's farm. In his native county 
he married Miss Hannah Chisholm, who was born in that count}', September 
28, 1806. her parents being John and Margaret (McBride) Chisholm. Her 
father was born near Glasgow, Scotland, while her mother was a native of 



588 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Perry county, Pennsylvania. Three children were born unto Mr. and Mrs.. 
Smith in Perry count}', and in the spring of 1836 the family came to Crawford 
county, Ohio, the father entering from the government forty acres of land in. 
Jackson, now Jefferson township. He soon afterward purchased an adjoin- 
ing tract of ten acres. All was wild, his farm being covered with a dense 
growth of forest trees, in the midst of which he erected a log cabin. When he 
had thus provided shelter for his family he at once began clearing away the 
trees, the woodman's ax awakening the echos in the forest. His labors in this 
direction were followed by the track of the shining plow, and he continued the 
work of developing the fields up to the time of his death, which occurred April 
23, ICS52. In the winter months he also worked at the shoemaker's trade un- 
til about 1850. He was a Whig in his political affiliations and served for a 
number of years as township trustee, while for a considerable period he rilled 
the office of a member of the school beard and did all in his power to promote 
the cause of education in the community. He was an ardent worker and con- 
sistent member of the United Brethren church, taking a leading part in its 
work, was one of its officers and was a liberal contributor to all charitable and 
benevolent purposes. His wife died in February, 1864. Her many excellent 
qualities and true womanly character had won her the esteem and friendship 
of all with whom she had been associated. She had seven children, but only 
two are living, John A. and George B., the latter a resident of North Baltimore. 
Wood county, Ohio. 

John A. Smith spent his boyhood days on the home farm and in the com- 
mon schools he mastered the English branches of learning usually taught in 
such institutions. He was only fifteen years of age at the time of his father's 
death and three years later took charge of the home farm, which he operated 
for his mother until the spring of 1864. On the 28th of May, 1863, he won 
as a companion on life's journey Miss Jemima Modderwell, a native of Liberty 
township, Crawford county, who was born on the farm which is now her home 
and where she has resided continuously since her birth, with the exception of 
one year. Her parents were James W. and Alary ( Peterman ) Modderwell, 
the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Cumberland county, Penn- 
sylvania. With their respective families they came to Crawford county, Ohio, 
becoming its first settlers. In the spring of 1864 Air. Smith removed to his 
father-in-law's farm, which he operated as a renter until 1875. He then pur- 
chased the farm of eighty acres in Liberty township and twenty acres in San- 
dusky township and in later years he has added twenty-one acres to the tract 
in Sandusky township. Pie is diligent, persevering and energetic in his farm 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 589 

work and the well tilled fields return to him abundant harvests for his labor. 
In 1864 he purchased a thresher and for twenty-four consecutive years he car- 
ried on the threshing business and also operated a wood-saw. He became one 
of the expert threshers of the county and secured a very liberal patronage, his 
services being in demand throughout the harvest season. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born two children: Anna W., now 
the wife of J. S. Keller, a hardware merchant of Sulphur Springs; and Nessie 
F. S., who married \Y. C. Charlton, who operates her father's farm. The 
parents have a wide acquaintance in the county and the hospitality of many of 
the best homes is extended to them. In political views Mr. Smith is a stalwart 
Republican. For thirteen consecutive years he served on the school board and 
is at present acting in that capacity.' He has also* served repeatedly as super- 
visor and in 1900 he was appointed census enumerator. Fie is now secretary 
of the Crawford County Pioneers' Society, and is one of the most highly re- 
spected men of the count}'. For more than sixty-three years he has resided in 
Crawford count} - , and his memory forms the connecting link between the 
primitive past and the progressive present. Where are now seen richly cul- 
tivated fields once stood the forest trees and the intersecting roads had not 
been laid out. The pioneer homes were widely scattered and the work of pro- 
gress and improvement was in its primitive condition. He belongs to that class 
of substantial citizens who have aided in the work of improvement, and well 
does he deserve mention among the honored pioneers. 



MATTHIAS SHEIBLEY. 

Matthias Sheibley, who carries on general farming in Cranberry town- 
ship and has served as township trustee, is a native resident of Ohio, for his 
birth occurred in Shelby. Richland county, January 25, 1863, his parents be- 
ing" Albert and Elizabeth (Karl) Sheibley. Their children were provided with 
loving care and attention in youth and were afforded good education privi- 
leges that they might be fitted for the arduous duties and the responsibilities 
of life. Our subject acquired his elementary education in the district schools, 
which was supplemented by study in the high school of Xew "Washington. He 
was trained to farm work on the old homestead and remained with his father 
until he had attained his majority, when he started out upon an independent 
business career. During the following year he was an employe of the Craw- 
ford county infirmary and in the succeeding year was employed by a Mr. 



59Q CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Gibson, a prominent farmer living east of Bucyrus. He then returned to the 
infirmary, where he remained for two years and afterward he was engaged in 
tile ditching and threshing. He also followed various other occupations 
through a period of four years and then rented land of a Mrs. Hamilton — a 
tract of sixty acres in Cranberry township. Thereon he began farming for 
himself, and during five years cultivated that land. Mrs. Hamilton then died 
and the farm passed into the possession of her sister, Mrs. William jolly, but 
during these years Mr. Sheibley had displayed business ability of such an 
order that he Was retained to manage the property, which he has since culti- 
vated. The farm now comprises eighty-six acres. In 1892 he increased 
his responsibilities by taking charge of his father's farm of eighty acres, and 
on the old homestead he now resides. 

On the 10th of April, 1894, occurred the marriage of Mr. Sheibley and 
Miss Catherine McMahon, a daughter of Thomas McMahon, a prominent 
agriculturist of Vernon township. The young couple began their domestic 
life in the old Sheibley residence, where he had resided for two years prior 
to his marriage. Unto them have been born three lovely children, but Frank 
J., the eldest is now deceased. The others are Edward W. and Gertrude E. 

Mr. Sheibley is a very energetic man, indolence and idleness being utterly 
foreign to his nature. During the year 1896-7 he had the management of 
the farm belonging to Mrs. Bloom, formerly a portion of the Volney Powers 
farm, and in 1900 he also assumed the responsibility of cultivating his fa- 
ther's land, comprising forty acres, one mile east and a quarter of a mile south 
of Xew Washington. He is operating altogether two hundred and six acres 
of land and is one of the prosperous and progressive agriculturists of the 
community. He carries on his work along advanced lines, basing his labor 
upon scientific principles, close observation and practical experience. He is 
a recognized factor in political circles, being a leader in Democratic ranks. 
In 1892 he was elected justice of the peace, filling the office for three years, 
and in 1899 ^ ie was chosen a member of the board of township trustees, in 
which capacity he is now serving in a most commendable manner. He and 
his wife are consistent members of the Catholic church and for four years 
he served as one of its trustees. Mrs. Sheibley is a charming and accom- 
plished wife, who presides with gracious hospitality over their pleasant home. 
They contribute to the support of all charitable work and public interests 
calculated to promote the general welfare, and the circle of their friends is al- 
most co-extensive with the circle of their acquaintances. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 591 

NICHOLAS SCHEERER. 

Mr. Scheerer was born in the village of Kleinbnndenbach, county of 
Homburg, Rhine province, Bavaria, Germany May 7. 1825, and his early 
childhood was spent upon a farm in the fatherland, but when a youth of 
fourteen he 'began learning the carpenter's trade, depending entirely upon 
his own resources for advancement in life, and well may he be proud oi his 
success, as his close application and industry made him a good workman, and 
his unaided labor brought to him a comfortable competence. He followed 
this pursuit in the land of his birth until 1847. when, at the age of twenty- 
two, he resolved to try his fortune in America, and upon a sailing" vessel em- 
barked for the new world. After fifty-two days spent upon the water anchor 
was dropped in the harbor of Xew York and he found himself a stranger 
in a strange country, unfamiliar with the language and customs of the people. 
He started out upon his new life with determined heart, however, resolved to 
make the most of his opportunities. 

Coming to Chatfield township. Crawford county. Air. Scheerer was em- 
ployed as a journeyman carpenter for four years and then began contracting 
and building on his own account, which pursuit he followed with good suc- 
cess for seven years. The money he saved enabled him. in 1853, to pur- 
chase sixty acres of land, upon which he located, giving his time to the de- 
velopment of his farm and his building operations, lie had cleared aln 
the entire tract, when, in 1863, he removed to the farm upon which he now 
resides, and which has been his home for thirty-eight years. Today he 
owns a quarter section of rich land, well improved, and his valuable farm 
is attractive with its many improvements, including a line residence, which 
he planned and erected. 

In 1850 Mr. Scheerer was married to Miss Elizabeth Schaack. who was 
born November 8, 1828, in Schmittshausen, county of Zweibruecken. Rhine 
province, Bavaria, Germany. She came to America in 1849 anc ^ m I( ^5° was 
married to Mr. Scheerer. This union was blessed with seven children, oi 
whom six are living, their names being as follows : Henry, of Seneca count)- ; 
Jacob and John, farmers of Chatfield township. Crawford county: Sarah, the 
wife of Solomon Klink, of Liberty township; Elizabeth, the wife of Emanuel 
Pfleiderer; and Louisa, the wife of George Pfleiderer, also of the same town- 
ship. These are residing on farms near Ridgeton and Sulphur Springs. 

Mr. and Mrs. Scheerer are members of the German Reformed church, 
and in politics he is a Democrat. He has never had occasion to regret his 



592 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

determination to make America his home, for in this land, where ambition 
and energy are not hampered by caste or class, he has worked his way stead- 
ily upward and has not only gained prosperity, but has also made many warm 

friends. 

WILLIAM H. MILLER. 

William II. Miller is now living a retired life in Bucyrus, after long 
connection with stock dealing interests, whereby he won a handsome com- 
petence that now enables him to put aside the more arduous duties of busi- 
ness. He was born September 4. 1844. ni Winchester, Ohio, and is a son 
of John Miller, who died during the early boyhood of our subject. The fa- 
ther was a native of Germany and emigrated to this country about 1830, 
settling at Winchester, Crawford county, about 1837. The mother, Mrs. 
Catherine Miller, is still living. 

William Henry Miller acquired his education in the common schools of 
his native county and subsequently resided with his brother-in-law, Jacob 
Yeaaglv. whom he assisted in farm work, receiving as compensation for his 
sei vices his board and clothing. He was thus employed until about seven- 
teen or eighteen years of age. after which he worked for Ephraim Monnett 
and G. H. Wright. He afterward entered the service of William Kinear, 
with whom he remained until February, 1864, when he responded to the 
country's call for aid, enlisting as a member of Company E, Thirty-fourth 
Ohio Mounted Infantry. He was then only nineteen years of age. His 
command was known as Captain Shaw's Company, and after the promotion 
of Captain Shaw, Captain Helwig was in charge. Mr. Miller participated in 
the battle of Lynchburg and of Staunton and in the movement in western 
Virginia. He was wounded on the 24th ^X July, at the battle of Winchester, 
being shot through the hips. He was then taken from the field by two com- 
rades, being supported by placing his arms around their necks, and in this 
way he was dragged along until late in the evening, when he was placed 
on a horse and rode until about ten or eleven o'clock at night. He was then 
put in an ambulance, in which he remained until the next afternoon, when he 
was transferred to a freight car with mam- other wounded comrades and 
thus taken to Sandy Hook, Maryland, where his wounds were dressed in 
the field hospital. He there remained for several days, and he and his com- 
rades were again placed in box cars and sent to Baltimore. While in the 
hospital in that city gangrene set in and he also suffered from fever. Many 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 593 

of his comrades died of flesh wounds, from the effects of gangrene and blood 
poisoning, but the best possible care and 'attention was given the wounded 
soldiers. From Baltimore Mr. Miller was afterward transferred to Chestnut 
Hill, Philadelphia, where he remained until the surrender of General Lee, 
when he received an honorable discharge and returned to Bucyrus. 

Here Mr. Miller worked at various employments for a time, after which 
he returned to the service of Mr. Monnett. After a time he was married 
and began farming upon rented land in Marion county, Ohio, which he op< 
erated on the shares, continuing to make that place his home for five years. 
He then rented a farm in Crawford county, of Robert Kerr, giving part cash 
for the use of the land, and paying the remainder of the rental in farm prod- 
ucts. In a few years he was able to rent the entire farm of six hundred and 
forty acres, for which he gave fifteen hundred dollars a year. He then began 
dealing in stock-buying, feeding and selling cattle, and for about thirteen 
years he remained upon the Kerr farm. He then purchased a farm of one 
hundred and twenty acres south of Bucyrus, for which he paid nine thou- 
sand dollars. After a year or two there passed he engaged in buying and 
shipping stock, in partnership with Samuel Shriber. After leaving the farm 
he continued in that business for three years. He rented the place and took 
up his abode in Bucyrus, however, continuing the stock business until the 
spring of 1900, when he retired to private life. In 1887 he purchased of 
Charles Raymer a farm of eighty acres, for the sum of three thousand seven 
hundred and fifty dollars, and in 1896 he purchased another tract of eighty 
acres on the east, known as the Morris farm, for which he gave thirty-four 
hundred dollars. His business affairs as a stock dealer were prosecuted so 
diligently and managed with such keen discrimination that he was annually 
enabled to add to his income and is now the possessor of a handsome com- 
petence. 

In August, 1866, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Lucinda 
Weirick, a daughter of Aaron and Margaret Weirick. Her father was born 
in Weiricktown, Pennsylvania, June 6, 1814, and about 1834 emigrated to 
Crawford county, Ohio, where he purchased and operated a farm. His wife 
bore the maiden name of Margaret A. Clark, and was a daughter of Archi- 
bald and Ann Clark. Her birth occurred April 5, 1819. The mother of 
Mrs. Weirick's paternal grandmother lived to the very advanced age of one 
hundred and three years. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Miller have been born four 
daughters and a son, namely: Josephine, born April 29, 1867, Ellamina, 
born March 6, 1869; Margaret, born February 6, 1871, and died on the 



594 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

same clay; Florence, born February u, 1872; and Sanford Aaron, who was 
born April 22, 1874, and died August 9, 1882. Mr. Miller is a consistent 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of Bucyrus, contributes liberally 
to its support and is deeply interested in all that pertains to its upbuilding 
and advancement. 

GEORGE WECHTER. 

George Wechter was born in Monroe county, Xew York, October 1, 
1829. and is to-day one of the wide-awake and progressive farmers of Cran- 
berry township, Crawford county. He is the eldest child of George and 
Frances ( Hertrich ) Wechter, and the family is of French lineage. His fa- 
ther was born in France, in 1806, and learned the blacksmith's trade, after 
which he crossed the Atlantic to the new world, making the voyage in 1828. 
He was accompanied by his wife and one child. Locating in Rochester, New 
York, he there followed various occupations until he had acquired a few 
hundred dollars, when he purchased a small place of seven acres near the 
city, residing thereon until 1853, when he came to Ohio. Here he purchased 
eight}- acres of land in Chatfield township, Crawford county, and success- 
fully carried on agricultural pursuits for some time, when he sold that prop- 
erty and bought a quarter section of land in Cranberry township, upoon which 
his son Frank now resides. Throughout his remaining days he carried on 
farming, his life's labors being ended in death in 1884. His study of Ameri- 
can politics led to his support of Democratic principles. In religious faith he 
was a Catholic, and in the community where he took up his abode he was 
well known and highly respected for his possession of many sterling char- 
acteristics. His children were George; Alar)' A., the wife of Peter Miller, of 
Grand Rapids, Michigan; Jacob, of Allen county, Indiana; Joseph, a florist of 
Rochester, New York; and Franklin, who is living in Cranberry township. 

George Wechter had the usual experiences of farmer boys in youth, en- 
joying the pleasures of the play-ground, attending to the duties of the school- 
room and assisting in the work of the home farm. In 1850 he was united i - i 
wedlock to Miss Mary A. Brinderman, of Rochester, New York, but a native 
of Prussia, having come to the United States with her parents when a young 
lady of eighteen years. Mr. Wechter and his bride began their domestic 
life in the suburbs of Rochester and during the four succeeding years he 
was employed in a nursery or along other lines of labor that would yield 
him an honest living. Thinking to better his financial condition further 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 595 

west, he came to Crawford county, Ohio, in 1854, and was employed as a 
farm hand in Cranberry township until i860, when, with the capital he had 
acquired through his industry and economy, he purchased his present home 
place, comprising twenty-six and three-fourths acres. It has been his residence 
for forty-one years, and his labors have been given to its cultivation and im- 
provement. 

On the 1 st of October, 1862, Air. Wechter was drafted into the service 
of his country, and leaving his wife to care for the family of five children in 
their forest home, he shouldered his musket and started with his comrades 
for the front. He was mustered in as a member of Company F. Sixty-fourth 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was assigned to> the Army of the 
Cumberland, under General Rosecrans, and was stationed for some time at 
Bowling Green, Kentucky, and at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The troops 
were also ordered to Chattanooga, but the order was countermanded. They 
reached Stone River three days after the battle at that point, and after doing- 
guard duty at the places mentioned Mr. Wechter was mustered out of the 
service at Hillsboro, Tennessee, on the 1st of August, 1863. He then re- 
turned to his family and resumed the responsibilities and burden of their sup- 
port, having since devoted his attention assiduously to farm work. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Wechter have been born five children : George and 
David, who are residents of Cranberry township; Jacob, who operates the 
home place ; Agnes, the wife of Peter Maas, a resident farmer of Cranberry 
township; and Mar}", deceased. The family hold membership in the Cath- 
olic church, and in his political views Mr. Wechter is a Democrat, but has 
never sought or desired the emoluments of public office, his time being fully 
occupied by his business duties. 

BERNARD YOUNG. 

Bernard Young - owns and operates one hundred acres of land in Cran- 
berry township and the well developed farm gives every evidence of the 
careful supervision of an owner at once practical and progressive. He was 
born on the 1st of January, 1S55, in Crawford county, his parents being Peter 
and Mary (Stein) Young. The father was a native of Alsace, France, now 
a part of Germany. His birth occurred in 181 5 and when he was eighteen 
years of age he crossed the Atlantic to the new world with his parents. His 
father was Louis Young, who came to this country in 1833 and on his ar- 
rival here took up his abode in Crawford county and entered land in both 



596 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Auburn and Cranberry townships, the former then a part of Richland county. 
Subsequently he became an extensive land owner, his poossessions aggregat- 
ing several hundred acres. After the death of his wife he returned to the 
fatherland on a visit and while there was taken ill and died. 

Peter Young, the father of our subject, lived with his parents until his 
marriage, which occurred in 1839, Miss Mary Stein becoming his wife. He 
then located on a tract of land in Auburn township, belonging to his father, 
and then cultivated the same on the shares for a number of years. Later he 
acquired a farm of his own, where his son Bernard now resides. It then 
comprised two hundred acres, and upon the place he remained until called to 
the home beyond. In 1865 he purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty- 
two acres on the corporation line of New Washington, now owned by 
Thomas Nedolus. In his political views he was a stanch Democrat. For 
some years he served as trustee of Cranberry township, called to that office 
by the vote of his neighbors, who recognized his worth and ability. Of the 
Catholic church he is an ardent and zealous member and through a long period 
served as church trustee and in other ecclesiastical offices. His wife was 
born in Lutering, Alsace, about 1819, and made the journey across the At- 
lantic about the time of the emigration of the Young family, taking up their 
abode in that portion of Crawford county which was then included in Rich- 
land county. Her death occurred in the year 1886. Mr. and Mrs. Young 
were the parents of ten children, but only four are now living, namely : Cath- 
erine, wife of Bernard Alt, of Auburn township; Margaret, who is engaged 
in teaching school in Buffalo, Xew York; Barbara, who resides in Putnam 
•county, Ohio; and Bernard, of this review. 

At the usual age our subject entered the school-room and therein mas- 
tered the principles of English learning. He was married June 24, 1884, to 
Miss Catherine Kastner, a native of Crawford count}' and a daughter of 
Andrew and Cecelia (Horning) Kastner, both natives of Baden, Germany. 
In early manhood the father came to the United States and the mother was 
brought to America by her parents when a little maiden of only three years. 
Both became residents of Crawford county. Unto our subject and his wife 
were born four children: Charles, Frank, Cecelia and Joseph. 

Mr. and Mrs. Young began their domestic life on the farm where they 
yet reside, our subject there owning one hundred acres of land, which had 
been given him by his father. The place is divided into fields of convenient 
size by well-kept fences. The cereals best adapted to the climate are raised, 
the buildings are kept in good repair and the farm in all its appointments is 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. S97 

modern and well improved. Mr. Young votes with the Democracy and in 
religious belief is a Catholic. He now serves as one of the trustees of the 
church and contributes in large measure to the promotion of the cause. His 
entire life has been passed in Crawford county and the fact that many of 
his best friends are numbered among those who have known him from boy- 
hood, is an indication of an honorable career. 

J. P. SHEEHAND. 

J. P. Sheehand, who is one of the early settlers of Crawford county 
and for many years was a well-known railroad engineer, was born on a canal 
boat near Cincinnati, November 20, 1834, his parents being William and 
Mary ( Patten) Sheehand. Plis father was a native of Ireland and on coming 
to this country became a canal boat captain on the Dayton & Pickaway canal. 
His wife was born in Kentucky and is now living, at the age of seventy- 
eight years, in Loudonville, Ashland county, Ohio. This worthy couple be- 
came the parents of nine children, but only three are now living, namely: 
William P., who is a passenger conductor on the St. Louis & Alton Railroad; 
Margaret, the wife of John Davis, of Loudonville, Ohio; and J. P., of this 
review. 

Our subject is the eldest of the surviving children. His parents re- 
moved to Ashland county, locating on a farm, where he was reared, early 
becoming familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agri- 
culturist. In his youth he attended the district schools of the neighborhood 
and afterward began working on the railroad, driving a cart at the time 
of the building of the Pennsylvania road through Ashland county. He was 
afterward employed on a construction train, carrying water and oiling cars. 
His next service was in the capacity of brakeman. He worked in that way 
on the first local freight train on the Pennsylvania road, running between 
Crestline and Alliance, Ohio, and for three years he acted in that capacity, 
after which he was employed as fireman for two years and eight months on 
the same line. He 'was next promoted to the position of engineer and for 
thirty-eight vears he acted in that capacity on the Pennsylvania Railroad, 
running most of the time between Crestline and Alliance. For eighteen years 
he was passenger engineer on one of the fast trains. He is the oldest em- 
ploye of the Pennsylvania Railroad at this place, being continuously in their 
service since 1S53, during which time he was never suspended from duty. 
He has, however, suffered from injuries from railroad wrecks,, having at one 



593 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

time been incapacitated for work for three months. The company, however, 
recognize him as a most careful expert and reliable engineer, and no higher 
testimonial of faithful service can be given than the statement of the fact of 
his long continuance with one occupation. 

In the year 1856, Mr. Sheehand was united in marriage to Miss Sidna 
Van Gill, and unto them have been born four children who are yet living, 
namely: Frank, who is a passenger engineer on the Pennsylvania Railroad; 
William L., a master mechanic at Massillon, Ohio; Clyde, who is engaged in 
the telephone business in Crestline ; and Laura, the wife of W. K. Scott, of 
Galion. Mr. Sheehand belongs to the Masonic lodge and the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows at Crestline, and is one of the pioneers of the place, 
having long been identified with its interests, and his co-operation is heartily 
given to every movement and measure for the general good. He has a very 
wide acquaintance here, the circle constantly increasing with the passing- years 
and the number of his friends is almost co-extensive with the number of his 
acquaintances. 

JACOB J. PFLEIDERER. 

Prominently identified with the farming and stock interests of Craw- 
ford county is Jacob J. Pfleiderer, a resident of Liberty township. The birth 
of Mr. Pfleiderer was in this township, on August 4, i860, and he was the 
son of David and Mary (Heckenlively) Pfleiderer. 

In 1 83 1 the grandparents of Jacob J. Pfleiderer, who were Christian and 
Barbara (Auberly) Pfleiderer, emigrated from their native country, Ger- 
many, to America, and stopped for a few months in Columbiana county, Ohio, 
en route to Crawford county, arriving in the latter in the spring of 1831. 
Christian Pfleiderer located on a tract of eighty acres of land in Liberty 
township, which at that time was still virgin forest. After entering this tract 
of land from the government. Christian here built a pioneer cabin of logs, a 
part of which still stands. Those were busy clays, but gradually the land 
was cleared and from time to time other tracts were added to it, until finally 
it became one of the largest, as well as the best, farms in Crawford county. 

David Pfleiderer, the son of Christian and Barbara Pfleiderer, came to 
this countrv and to this county with his parents when they emigrated from 
Germany. He grew to manhood here and on November 13, 1842, was united 
in marriage to Miss Mary Heckenlively, of Chatfield township. She was 
born in Columbiana county, Ohio, on September 15, 1826, and was a daugh- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 599 

ter of John and Margaret (Lefler) Heckenlively, both of whom were natives 
of Wurtemberg, Germany, and came to the United States in the same vessel, 
and were married in Baltimore three weeks after landing, and went then 
to Columbiana comity, Ohio. In 1832. with friends, they went to Phillips- 
bnrg, Ohio, where they remained some eighteen months, and in 1833 they 
emigrated to Crawford county, where the grandfather entered eighty acres 
of land in Chatfield township, a mile west of the town of Chatfield, built a log 
cabin in the big woods, and began the clearing of the land. Here he lived until 
about 1843. His first wife died in 1839, and in 1843 ne married a second time 
and removed to Liberty township. After coming to Crawford county he began 
his gospel ministry, in the English Lutheran church, and for several years 
traveled in Iowa as one of its efficient missionaries. To the marriage of 
David and Mary Prleiderer fourteen children were born, and eleven of these 
still survive, viz. : Magdalena, the wife of Christian Harmon, of Warsaw, 
Indiana; Mary A., the wife of Gottleib Lindharth, of Liberty township; Ab- 
raham, of Kosciusko county, Indiana; Margaret, at home; Barbara, the wife 
of Reuben Crall, of Liberty township; Lvdia, the wife of Samuel Ulmer, who 
conducts a sawmill at Sulphur Springs ; Isaac, of Liberty township ; Jacob, 
of this sketch, a twin brother of Isaac; Leonora, the wife of Jacob Ulmer, of 
Liberty township; Caroline, the wife of S. Light, of Liberty township; and 
Clara, the wife of Henry Sheiber, of Liberty township. 

After marriage Mr. Prleiderer located on a farm of eighty acres ad- 
joining the home place and still later, when given the opportunity, pur- 
chased the home farm from the other heirs, and thus became one of the large 
landholders of the county. He took an intelligent interest in public affairs and 
was particularly prominent in the Evangelical church, where for twenty-five 
years he did all he could to advance the cause of religion. He was very 
liberal and assisted in the building" of two churches and was a man who pos- 
sessed the confidence and esteem of every member of the community. In Sep- 
tember, 1898, he was stricken with paralysis of the left side, this affliction 
causing him to 1 grow very nervous, and the end came on January 17, 1901, 
at the age of seventy-eight years, one month and fifteen days. His widow 
survives and resides on the old homestead. 

Jacob J. Prleiderer grew to manhood on the home farm and obtained his 
education in the common schools. At the age of twenty years he began the 
business of buying and selling stock and was very successful in this line. 
On December 11, 1883, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary A. Cham- 
bers, who was a native of this township, having been born on the farm which 



600 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

adjoins her home. Her parents were William and Elizabeth (Heller) Cham- 
bers, the former of whom was a native of Crawford county. His father, 
Elias Chambers, was one of the early pioneers of Crawford county, while his' 
mother, Elizabeth Heller, was a native of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, and 
had been brought to Crawford county when but seven years of age, by her 
parents, Jacob and Catherine (Hay) Heller. To our subject and wife six 
children have been born: V. Blanche, Elgar J., Florence E., Mary Elizabeth, 
Ernest Merl and Lois M. The three eldest of these children have displayed 
unusual intelligence and have passed the Boxwell examination, and all are 
being - thoroughly educated and give ever}' promise of becoming an honor to 
their estimable parents, as well as useful citizens of Crawford count)'. 

The first year following our subject's marriage he spent in farming on 
the home farm and then rented a farm belonging to his wife's grandfather, 
which was located across the road from his present farm, and in 1890 he 
purchased it, the tract containing one hundred and fifteen acres. Here the 
family resided until 1895, when Mr. Pfleiderer bought forty acres of the 
farm he now occupies and removed to it. across the road, and rented his large 
farm to a tenant. In 1899 he purchased an additional ten acres, which was 
adjoining land, and now this home place consists of fifty acres and is one 
of the most attractive places in the vicinity. In 1900 he rebuilt the family 
residence, introducing all modern improvements, and he now possesses an 
ideal country home. Since 1893 he has done little farming, having then 
sold his agricultural implements, and now devotes his time to the buying and 
shipping of stock, and is known as one of the most successful dealers through 
the state. 

Mr. Pfleiderer has been a life-long Democrat and has been very active 
in party affairs. From 1893 to 1899 he served most efficiently in the office 
of township trustee and has exerted considerable influence in this section. 
Both he and wife are leading- members of the Evangelical church. 



HENRY N. OBERLANDER. 

The gentleman whose name is mentioned above and who is a well-known 
farmer of Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, is descended from old 
and honorable trans-Atlantic stock, which was transplanted to one of our 
eastern colonies, whence his father, Emanuel Oberlander, emigrated to Ohio 
at a period early enough to be counted among the pioneers of this great state. 




T/dc^t/^^ 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 603 

All those qualities of mind and heart, all those characteristics which make 
for personal success and good citizenship, have been conspicuous in nearly 
every generation of his family. 

Henry N. Oberlander is a native of Lykens township, Crawford county, 
and was born on the 14th day of March, 1863. He received his early edu- 
cation in such crude public schools near his home as were in vogue at that 
time and was earl}- initiated into the mysteries of practical farming. Accord- 
ing to his father what was his father's due, he remained with him, assisting" 
him in every w T ay possible, until he was twenty-one years old, then with willing" 
hands and active brain and a clean record he took up the battle of life on his 
own account. He began his independent business career by renting the farm 
which he now owns, which became his by purchase in 1895. The farm con- 
sists of one hundred and twenty acres of well improved and very productive 
land, in connection with which for the past ten years he has cultivated the 
Shalter farm. He has made many improvements on his place and gives his at- 
tention to general farming, in which he has been satisfactorily successful. 
Air. Oberlander also owns and operates the grain, elevator at Lykens, and in 
partnership with G. B. Ouaintance owns and operates a grain elevator at 
Ridgeton, Ohio. 

Jul)- 10, 1884, Air. Oberlander married Lily M. Dillinger, a daughter 
of David Dillinger, deceased, and they have two children, named AVynona- 
and Chalmers, who are now gaining an education. The daughter is especially 
promising, having obtained ;i teacher's license at the age of fifteen. 

Politically Mr. Oberlander affiliates with the Democratic party and he 
exerts a not uncertain influence on local affairs. AYhile he has never been 
an office seeker, a considerable number of responsible offices have sought him 
and in the interests of good government he has accepted them. He has twice 
filled the office of assessor in his township, and for five years has been a 
member of the board of education. During this time he has done everything* 
in his power to improve the efficiency of the schools, and in the fall of 1900 
was elected to the office of count}' commissioner, which he is filling with great 
ability and credit. It may be said of him that he is a man of pronounced 
public spirit, and his admiring fellow citizens bear testimony to the fact that 
he may safely be depended upon to advance to the extent of his ability any 
movement, which in his good judgment promises to benefit the people of his 
township or county. He is a member of Lykens Lodge, No. 530, Knights < >f 
Pythias. 

33 



6o 4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

JOHN PFLEIDERER, 

Prominent among" the public-spirited, progressive and successful farmers 
of Liberty township, Crawford county, Ohio, is John Prleiderer, one of the 
most highly esteemed citizens of this locality. He is a product of this town- 
ship, born here on November 14, 1833, a son of Christian and Barbara 
Prleiderer, who were natives of Germany and became early settlers in this 
part of the state. Seven children were born to these worthy pioneer parents, 
the three survivors being Christian, of this township; John, of this biography, 
and Daniel, also of this township. 

John Prleiderer grew up in his father's house, a sturdy, healthy lad, 
noted for his strength and manliness, and at the age of twelve years was able 
to take his place with the grown laborers in the harvest held. He has seen 
the wonderful changes which have taken place in Liberty township, as his 
>ervices were required to assist in the clearing of the fertile fields he now 
owns of the virgin forest growth. AYell he remembers the hardships of those 
early days and recalls many interesting events of men and localities of 
which the world never tires of hearing, because of the prominence the Buck- 
eye state has so long held in public regard. 

After the marriage of his brother David, young John went to make his 
home with him, as he was his guardian, and worked for him until his mar- 
riage, on June 16, 1859, to Miss Mary A. Kafer, a native of Liberty town- 
ship, and a daughter of Frederick Kafer, a native of Germany, who was an 
early settler of the county. Previous to his marriage he had made prepara- 
tions for it by purchasing sixty acres of land, which is included in his present 
farm. In later years, as prosperity smiled upon him, on acount of his per- 
severing efforts, he gradually added until he now owns one hundred and 
sixty-one and one-halt acres in the home place, and also owns a most de- 
sirable tract of eighty acres, located one and one-half miles south of Sulphur 
Springs, and also a section of land in Texas, which promises to be very 
valuable. 

The eight surviving children of Mr. and Airs. Prleiderer are: Franklin, 
Samuel, and Emanuel, of this township; Joseph, the farmer on the home place; 
Lizzie, the wife of George Abendroth, of this township; Amanda, the wife \i 
Louis Witter, of Bucyrus ; and Emma and Ida, at home. 

Air. Prleiderer is one of the most progressive farmers of this localitv. 
His investments are undertaken with good judgment and are universally re- 
munerative, while aside from his personal matters he is interested in any- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 605 

thing which promises to be of benefit to the locality. In politics he has al- 
ways been a Democrat. For the past fourteen years he has faithfully served 
in the offices of the Lutheran church and contributes to it largely, ever being 
ready to promote its charitable and benevolent enterprises. 

JOHN GORDON. 

The farming interests of Bucyrus township are in the hands of capable 
agriculturists, and one of these, who has shown a thorough understanding of 
the principles of modern farming, is John Gordon, a native of South Wales, 
born there, in county of Glamorgan, on March 3, 1849, being the only repre- 
sentative of his family in America. The parents of Air. Gordon were Thomas 
and Catherine (Morris) Gordon, and they reared a family of seven children: 
Mary, Thomas, Eliza, John, Ann. Richard and George, Ann and Richard hav- 
ing passed away. Both parents have also passed out oi life, while the others of 
the family still reside in the old home in South Wales. 

John Gordon was reared on his father's farm and received a common- 
school education, remaining at home until he attained his majority, although 
lie had long cherished a desire to see the country across the Atlantic. On 
the 20th day of May, 1870, he set sail for America, landing at Ouebec, Can- 
ada, from which point he took a train to Toronto, a schoolmate living in that 
city. Later he made his way to Trumbull county, Ohio, where he secured 
lucrative employment on a dairy farm, and remained there for three years, 
in the employ of Xoble Thompson. During the year 1874 he worked in the 
Pennsylvania oil regions, and then another year for Mr. Thompson, leaving 
him when Air. Thompson sold his farm, but later again returned to this kind 
employer when he resided in Painesville. 

It was during his association witli Mr. Thompson that he had the good 
fortune of meeting" the lady who later became his wife. She was the amiable 
daughter of Henry Flock, a prominent farmer of Bucyrus township, a vis- 
itor in the home of Mr. Thompson. The marriage of Mr. Gordon to Miss 
Callie F. Flock took place February 24, 1875, following - which was their re- 
moval to Crewford county, where the home has ever since remained. For two 
vears Mr. Gordon remained with his father-in-law and then bought land in 
Todd township, where he owns one hundred and sixty-eight acres of land. In 
1888 Mr. Gordon returned to the farm of his father-in-law, where he now re- 
sides, the former, who lives retired, enjoying the care of his children and grand- 
children . The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Gordon were : Florence, Luella, 



606 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Henry, Elva, Alice and Letty, of whom Lnella, Henry, and Alice survive. Mr.. 
Gordon enjoys the respect and esteem of the neighborhood in the highest de- 
gree, and is known as one of the most intelligent and progressive farmers of 
the township. 

Henry Flock, the father of Mrs. Gordon, is the eldest son of Stephen and 
Catherine Flock, and was born in the Rhine province of Bavaria, Germany, 
December 14, 181 5, and there was thoroughly educated. While still a youth 
he went to work in order to contribute to the support of the family, but 
then wages were very low and many days he worked for twenty cents a day. 
In the localitv of his home wood was scarce and it was necessary for him to 
haul fuel, or fagots, a distance of almost ten miles, on a wheelbarrow ; con- 
sequently the stoves were seldom very hot. The law r did not permit the peas- 
ants to cut green timber, and their way of obtaining fuel was to break off the 
dead limbs, it frequently being necessary for them to climb the trees in order 
to secure these branches. Upon one occasion young' Henry became so be- 
numbed with the cold, while in a tree, that he almost fell to the ground, and 
this, with other severe trials, led him to a determination to try his fortune in 
America. 

When he became of military age he was too short to enter the service, 
and the officials put him back one year, expecting him to grow, but he failed 
to do so, and thus was rejected altogether. Although his inclinations were 
toward matrimony, circumstances were not promising, in Bavaria, and in 1839 
he put into practice his resolve to leave the fatherland. Settling in Bucyrus, 
Ohio, he worked in a hotel for Abraham Halm, remaining with him three 
years, receiving for his services seven dollars and fifty cents per month, and 
during this period, although sick for six months, he managed to savfe one 
hundred and fifty-eight dollars. Of this amount he sent forty-five dollars 
to ( iermany to pay the passage of Miss Catherine Slicker to America. Some 
two years later she reached the United States, and upon her arrival in Bucyrus 
she and Mr. Flock were married. 

After severing his business connection with Mr. Hahn, Mr. Flock worked 
for three years for other parties, keeping continually bus}-, finally entering the 
employ of Dr. Willis Merriman, where he remained as a faithful clerk for 
seven years. In March, 1853, he removed to Wyandot and formed a part- 
nership with James H. Reinicker in the mercantile business, and later Mr. 
Flock bought his partner's interest and continued the business until 1870,. 
when he transferred it to his son. While residing in Wyandot, Mr. Flock- 
served the village as postmaster for seven years, and while a clerk for Dr. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 607 

Merriman he was made treasurer of Bucyrus corporation, possessing the es- 
teem and confidence of his fellow citizens. In 1870 he located on his present 
farm. 

The first marriage of Mr. Flock was on September 22, 1842, to Cath- 
erine Slicker, born January 20, 1820, in Bavaria, who emigrated to America 
with the family of Peter Geiger. These children were born of this marriage : 
Mary, who married William Welsh; Daniel; Kate, who married Peter Bair ; 
Louisa, who married John B. Welsh; Caroline, who married John Gordon. 
The mother died October 11, 1862, and the second marriage of Mr. Flock 
was on November 6, 1864, to Mary Jane Clark, who was a teacher in the 
schools of Bucyrus for several years. Her death occurred January 25, 1875. 
On October 11, 1877, occurred his marriage to Lena Hooker, who also passed 
away, his last wife having been Mary Stoll, who died in 1901. 

When but thirteen years of age, Mr. Flock united with the Evangelical 
church, in Germany. When he settled in Bucyrus, he joined the German 
Lutheran church, and later in life the English Lutheran church. 

ELI MILLER. 

A thoroughly representative citizen and successful farmer of Holmes 
township, Crawford county, is Eli Miller, who was born in Richland county, 
Ohio, on March 13, 1850, a son of Joseph and Louisa (Hacker) Miller, and 
belonged to a family of ten children, nine of whom are living, viz. : Eli, of 
this biography; John S., residing on a part of the home farm; Ceno P., resid- 
ing with his mother on the home place; Alva M., of Putnam county; Josiah, 
of Putnam county; Joseph F., of Wyandot county; Barbara, the wife of 
George Grau, of Whitley county, Indiana; Dora, the wife of Frank Much- 
ling, of Putnam county ; and Ellen, the wife of Joseph Nickler, of Liberty 
township. The parents of Mr. Miller were married in 1848, and they then 
located in Crawford county, purchasing the eighty acres of land which now 
is included in the Miller home, and as prosperity came the father purchased 
much more land, eighty acres lying to the north of his farm, eighty on the 
south and fifty a short distance east, making a large estate of two hundred 
and ninety acres in all. The father died January 28, 1897, and there passed 
away one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Holmes township. 

Eli Miller, a worthy descendant of most excellent parents, was carefully 
reared by them through childhood, and attended the common schools. He 
was taught to be industrious and honest and those lessons have never been 



6o8 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

forgotten. On February 20. 1873, he was married to Miss Julia A. Spalir, 
a native of this township, a (laughter of George A. Spahr (a sketch of whom ap- 
pears in another part of this volume), one of the prominent farmers of this 
county. Following his marriage, Mr. Miller purchased fifty acres of land 
in the vicinity of the home farm, but finding the payments too heavy for a 
beginner he sold the property to his father and rented land until the spring' 
of 1888, when he removed to his present home farm, which he had acquired in 
the fall of 1883. Here Mr. Miller has given his attention most successfully 
to general farming and stock-raising, becoming, as the years have passed, 
one of the reliable and substantial farmers of Holmes township. 

Five children came to Mr. and Mrs. Miller, the survivors being: Elmer 
M., Dennis E., Harvey L., and Alfred E., Clarence J. being the name of the 
little son that passed early out of life. With the exception of Dennis, who is 
engaged in teaming in Bucyrus, these manly, intelligent sons still remain under 
the parental roof. In politics Mr. Miller is a Democrat, and has taken a 
great interest in public affairs. For the past seven years he has been a trustee 
in the United Brethren church, of which he has long been a worthy member 
and to which his contributions are most substantial. Holmes township is for- 
tunate in having among its citizens such honest, energetic and progressive men 
as Eli Miller. 

ORWIN B. MOXXETT. 

Agriculture forms the basis of all commercial and industrial prosperity. 
It is the corner stone of the business structure and has led to the upbuilding* 
of many nations. The rich and fertile lands of Ohio have become the place of 
residence for a prosperous and contented people who have established a com- 
mi inwealth of which they have every reason to be proud. Among the success- 
ful agriculturists and stock-raisers now identified with the interests of Crawford 
county is the gentleman whose name introduces this review and who 1 was born 
on one of the old and valuable farms of this portion of the state — the Monnett 
homestead, in Bucyrus township. The date of his birth was September 29, 
1850. His father, the Rev. T. J. Monnett, was a Methodist minister, and, in 
accordance with the laws of that denomination, he was removed from one 
pastorate to another, so that our subject spent his youth in various places, in- 
cluding Fostoria, Kenton and Upper Sandusky. When he was ten years of 
age his father retired from the ministry and the family took up their abode on 
the old homestead in Bucyrus township where his birth had occurred and 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 609 

where he remained until nineteen years of age. In the fall of 1869 he was 
sent to the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, there to supplement his 
preliminary scholastic training with more advanced education. After a year, 
however, his health failed him and he had to abandon the course. He next, 
took a course in J. W. Sharp's Commercial School, at Delaware, and was grad- 
uated with the highest honors of his class. He then became bookkeeper E< ir 
the Bucyrus Woolen Mill Company, and after a year spent in that position he 
became a partner in a grocery store, the connection being maintained for a 
little more than two years. 

Mr. Monnett then returned to the farm, lint in a short time became an 
employe of the American Express Company and assistant ticket agent for the 
Big-Four Railroad Company at Gabon, which service continued for about seven 
months. In 1876 he returned to the farm and was engaged in its cultivation 
until 1882, when he removed to Bucyrus, where he rilled the position of super- 
intendent for the Bucyrus Gas Light & Fuel Company for four and a half 
years. His father was interested in the company, and when he sold out Mr. 
Monnett, of this review, again resumed farming on the old home place, where 
he has since remained, being ranked among the leading farmers and stock- 
raisers of the county. He has been especiallv interested in sheep-growing for 
a number of years, and keeps on hand several hundred head of sheep. He has 
four hundred acres of rich land, divided into Highly cultivated fields and rich 
meadows, and the work carried on within the boundaries of his farm brings 
a good financial return. 

In 1877 Mr. Monnett was united in marriage to Miss Annie Hoffman, 
a daughter of Charles F. Hoffman, who many years ago was a well-known 
business man of Bucyrus, and is now living a retired life in Houston, Texas. 
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Monnett have been born two children, Ethel and Bessie, 
both of whom are at home. The family attend the Methodist Episcopal 
church, of which Mr. and Mrs. Monnett are members. He has taken quite an 
active interest in politics as an advocate of the Republican party, and was its 
candidate for county treasurer in 1899. He made a good race, running ahead 
of the state ticket, but as his party is in the minority in the county he was de- 
feated. He was the candidate for county sheriff in 1901. He is a member of 
the Republican executive committee of Crawford county, and belongs to tho 
Farmers' Institute. For a number of years he has been a correspondent for 
the home papers and for the Ohio State Journal, also' the Pittsburg National 
Stockman and Farmers' Journal. Under the nom de plume of Tim Frinx 
he has written much of a humorous character for the Forum. His articles are 



610 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

entertaining, fluently written and many of them are of great value, especially 
those pertaining to agricultural and stock-raising subjects, for his wide experi- 
ence in these departments of labor and his excellent success have made his 
.opinions worthy of adoption'. Well known in his native county as a citizen of 
worth, as a reliable business man, as a trustworthy friend and as a considerate 
husband and father, these qualities have gaijied him admiration and esteem. 



JOHN HOFFMANN. 

Nature has certainly intended that the last years of man shall be spent in 
retirement. He loses the vigor and strength of former years, and the fitting 
crown of an active career is rest from labor. This has been vouchsafed to Mr. 
Hoffmann as the reward of a busy and useful life. He was born in Hesse- 
Darmstadt, Germany, September 13, 1842. His father, Andrew Hoffmann, 
was a native of the same locality, and the grandfather was born, lived and died 
in that portion of Germany. Andrew Hoffmann was born in 1817, and in 
1854 came to America, bringing with him his family. He had married Mar- 
garet Schaeffer, also a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, born in the year 1822. 
They became the parents of thirteen children, of whom six are yet living: 
Adam, who married Lovina Coyer and is now deceased; George, who is mar- 
ried and resides in California; John, of this review; Andrew, who married 
Carry Kauaram ; Margaret, now the widow of David Blum ; Catherine, wife of 
John Mathias ; Elizabeth, the widow of John Esinger; and six who died in 
infancy. The mother of this family passed away in 1893. J onn Hoffmann 
pursued his education in the schools of Germany for five years and then ac- 
companied his parents on their emigration to America when a lad of eleven 
summers. His father died the second day after they arrived in Ohio. The 
family made their way direct to Crestline and John continued his education 
in the schools of this city for a short time, but soon began to earn his own 
livelihood, working at any employment which would yield to him an honest 
living. Later, however, he began learning the shoemaker's trade, which he 
followed for two years, and subsequently learned the baker's trade. He was 
then engaged in the baking and grocerv business in Crestline for thirty-three 
years, one of the oldest merchants in years of continuous connection with com- 
mercial circles in the city. He had a well-conducted establishment, supplied 
with everything in his line, and his trade was a large and profitable one. Thus 
year In- year he increased his income, for his moderate prices, honorable deal- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 6n 

ing and earnest desire to please his patrons enabled him to have a liberal pat- 
ronage. 

Air. Hoffmann was united in marriage to Miss Johanna Frank, who was 
born in Germany, May 24, 1844, and in early life came to the United States 
with her parents, first locating in Erie, Pennsylvania. Her father, George 
Frank, was born in Germany, in 1804, and in 1845 bade adieu to the father- 
land, crossing the briny deep to the new world. He afterward became a 
farmer in Morrow county, Ohio, where he died about 1875. His wife bore 
the maiden name of Margaret Heigle, and she, too, was born in Germany. 
After the death of her husband she came to Crawford county, where her re- 
maining days were passed. Mrs. Hoffmann accompanied her parents from 
Pennsylvania to Morrow county, Ohio, and thence came to Crawford county. 
The marriage of our subject and his wife was celebrated in Morrow county 
and has been blessed with six children, but the first two, Matilda and Emma, 
are now deceased, and Charles, the fourth member of the family, has also 
passed away. The others are: Elizabeth; Anna, the wife of A. Fabor ; and 
Frances. Mr. Hoffmann gives his political support to the Democracy, and is a 
member of the German Reformed church. Entering upon his business career 
at a very early age, with no friends or influence to aid him, he has advanced 
steadily through the strength of his own merit and as the result of close appli- 
cation and untiring industry. Such a career should serve as a source of in- 
spiration to others to whom fate seems unkind. Success can always be gained 
by determined purpose and honorable dealing when guided by sound judg- 
ment, and it is such qualities that won for Mr. Hoffmann his place among the 
representative men and leading merchants of Crestline. Although he is not 
yet sixty years of age, he has a competence sufficient to enable him to live with- 
out further labor and to enjoy the fruits of his former toil. 

FRANK P. WARNER. 

,' 

One of the public-spirited and progressive citizens of Crawford county, 
Ohio, who is prominent in his locality both in political and religious circles, is 
Frank Warner, who was born on the farm where he now resides, on October 
8. 1852, and was a son of John and Rebecca J- (French) Warner, who had 
six children, four of whom survive, these being as follows : William, a resi- 
dent of Hicksville, Defiance county ; Julia, the widow of J. H. Fry, of Sul- 
phur Springs, this state; Frank, the subject of this sketch; and Thomas J., 
a resident of this township. 



612 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

John Warner, the father of our subject and one of the most highly es- 
teemed citizens of Liberty township, was born in York county, Pennsylvania, 
on June 9, 18 17, and was a son of Charles and Catherine (Boblets) Warner, 
who. with their family, removed from their native state and settled in Harrison 
county, Ohio, where they remained nine years, removing at the end of that 
time to Vernon township, Crawford county, where John has since resided. 
John Warner assisted his father in clearing up his land and learned the car- 
penter trade. Soon after beginning business for himself his shop was burned 
and he lost all of his tools, but he soon earned more, and in the course of time 
accumulated a considerable fortune, owning two farms, comprising in the 
aggregate two hundred and forty acres of land. In politics he was a Democrat 
and for some sixteen or eighteen years held the office of justice of the peace 
and also served his township in other positions. For many years he was a 
leading member of the Lutheran church, and for a long period was an official 
member. His death occurred on September 17, 1896, when he had reached 
his eightieth year, passing away with the respect of his fellow citizens and 
lamented by a large circle of friends. 

The mother of our subject was born in Cumberland, Maryland, a daugh- 
ter of Judge French, who was one of the first settlers of the county. Mrs. 
Warner died in 1S92, one of the most esteemed residents of Vernon township, 
where she was beloved for her many acts of neighborly kindness. 

Frank P. Warner, who- is the subject of this biography, was reared at his 
paternal home and acquired his education in the common schools, where he 
was an apt and ambitious student. By his marriage, on December 24, 1874, 
to Miss Isabelle Maxwell, he became connected with one of the prominent 
families of Defiance county, Ohio. Mrs. Warner was a daughter of William 
R. Maxwell, who occupied a number of important positions in his county, 
where for twenty-four years he was a justice of the peace, during which time 
he performed eighty-four marriage ceremonies. For eight years Mr. Max- 
well was county, commissioner, and regret was expressed very universally 
throughout Defiance county on the occasion of his death, in 1899, at the age 
of seventy-seven years. 

After marriage our subject and his estimable wife established their home 
on the farm, where Mr. Warner engaged in farming on shares for a time. At 
the death of his father a portion of the estate came into his possession, by will, 
and later he purchased the interests of the other heirs, and is now the owner 
of the whole one hundred and fifty-three acres, this land having been earned 
by his father by work at his trade of carpenter during his earlier years. It is 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 613. 

a very valuable and highly improved property and makes one of the most agree- 
able homes in the township. The one son born to our subject and wife, 
Charles Ray, was reared and educated in this locality and later married Miss 
Maud Weaver, and now the hospitable old home roof shelters the two families, 
the son assisting his father in the management of the property. 

Mr. Warner comes of a Democratic family and is a stanch supporter of 
Democratic men and measures. Like his father, he has long been a leading 
member of the Lutheran church, belonging to the church council, while fra- 
ternally he is connected with Tiro Lodge, No. 592, K. of P., and is recognized 
as one of the best farmers of Vernon township. 

PHILIP BENDER. 

Honored and respected by all, there is no man in Crawford county who 
occupies a more enviable position in business circles than Philip Bender, who 
for many years has devoted his energies to> the tilling of the soil and to the 
raising of a high grade of stock. A native of Richland county, Ohio, his 
birth occurred on the 5th of April, 1857, a son of Jacob Bender, also of this 
county. Our subject received his education in the primitive schools of his 
locality, and on his father's farm he was early inured to the work of field and 
meadow. In 1881, in company with his brother John, he assumed the man- 
agement of the homestead farm, which they continued for about ten years. 
On the 1 8th of December, 1891, he was united in marriage with Miss Eliza- 
beth May, a daughter of Lewis May, of Vernon township. For one year after 
his marriage our subject continued farming the old home farm in partnership 
with his brother, although he maintained his residence in Tiro. In March, 1893, 
he removed to the farm which he now owns and occupies, he and his father 
purchasing of William Hanley one hundred and sixteen acres, our subject lie- 
coming the owner if forty-six acres, while his father took possession of 
the remaining seventy acres Subsequently Mr. Bender purchased his 
father's interest in the tract, thus becoming the owner of the entire one hun- 
dred and sixteen acres. In 1900 he rebuilt his barn, and has improved his 
place in many other ways until it is now one of the valuable and attractive 
homesteads of the township. In addition to the raising of the cereals best 
adapted to- this soil and climate he is also> extensively engaged in the breeding 
of Aberdeen cattle, and in both branches of his business he has met with a high 
and well-merited degree of success. 

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Bender has been brightened and blessed by the 



■6 1 4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

presence of two children, — Carrie M. and Clarence T. The family is one of 
prominence in their locality, and are attendants and liberal supporters of the 
Lutheran church. Mr. Bender gives his political support to the Democratic 
party. He is an energetic business man of marked ability, a progressive citi- 
zen and justly popular in his wide circle of acquaintances. 

WILLIAM S. TUTTLE. 

Wherever they have found residence in the United States, Canadians have 
been model citizens, and their descendants have followed in their footsteps. 
Prominent among Canadians who have settled in Crawford county, Ohio, was 
the late Alvin F. Tuttle, whose son, William S. Tuttle, is a well-known farmer 
of Texas township. 

Alvin F. Tuttle was born near Elizabethtown, Canada. May 26, 1818, 
and was reared to manhood there. In 1839 he settled in Lykens township, 
Crawford county, Ohio. In 1841 he was joined by his parents, and they 
bought eighty acres of land where John Tuttle now lives. Later Alvin F. 
Tuttle removed to Texas township and bought eighty acres of land where nis 
son, William S. Tuttle, now resides. He added to his original purchase until 
he owned one hundred and ninety acres, which he cleared and improved until 
it was a valuable agricultural property. He was a Republican in politics from 
the organization of that party until his death, and took much interest in town- 
ship affairs, serving his fellow citizens as township clerk and filling the office 
of assessor of taxes for more than fifteen years. He was for more than sixty 
years a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, devout in his worship, 
regular in his attendance at stated services and generous in his contributions 
toward the supportof its material interests. When he came to the county 
he began his career in a log cabin which he erected in the wilderness. The 
woods were alive with game of all kinds and the Indians were frequent visitors 
at his humble abode. He was married October 1, 1844, to Eliza Thompson, 
who died May 26, 1893. He died May 26, 1901, and they are buried in 
Poplar cemetery near their old home. They had five children, the following- 
information concerning four of whom will be found interesting: Norsicy A. 
died in infancy; George T. lives at Bucyrus, Ohio; V. O., who was a butcher, 
died in Nevada; and Dow J. is a merchant at Sycamore, Ohio. 

William S. Tuttle, youngest child of Alvin F. and Eliza (Thompson) 
Tuttle, was born on the farm in Texas township, Crawford county, Ohio-, on 
which he now lives, September 17, 1856. He was reared to farm labor and 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 615 

educated in the district school. He farmed in association with his father until 
the latter's death, and is one of the most successful general farmers in the 
township. He is now the owner of his father's old homestead. In politics 
he is a Republican, and he has held the office of trustee of Texas township for 
five years. He is a Knight of Pythias and is widely known as a popular, 
enterprising and public-spirited man. January 1, 1880, he married Miss Jen- 
nie Dunlap. 

JOSEPH M. SHELL. 

A brilliant example of a self-made American citizen and a grand exempli- 
fication of the progress that an ambitious foreigner can make in this country 
of unbounded opportunities is shown in the case of Joseph M. Shell, one of the 
leading Austrian-American residents of Ohio. His singular success is due 
to his own energy and the high ideal which his lofty and laudable ambition 
placed before him. Success in any walk of life is an indication of earnest 
endeavor and persevering effort, — characteristics that Mr. Shell possesses in. 
an eminent degree. 

He was born in Austria, on the 17th of September, 1845, an< 3 ms parents, 
Joseph and Catherine ( Lautner) Shell, were also natives of the same country. 
The father was born in 1824 and was a son of Frank Shell, a potter by trade.. 
He, too, learned the potter's trade and followed that occupation in the town of 
Staab. In 1872 he came to America, locating in Venice township. Seneca 
county, Ohio, where he purchased a small tract of land of twenty-six and two- 
thirds acres and turned his attention to farming, engaging in that pursuit up 
to the time of his death, which occurred on the 1st of April, 1877. He was 
a member of the Catholic church and died in that faith. His wife, who was 
born in 1825, was a daughter of John Lautner, also a potter by trade, and her 
death occurred in the year 1896. This worthy couple were the parents of 
eleven children, but only four are now living, namely: Joseph M. ; Barbara, 
wife of Wend Muhr. a resident farmer of Cranberry township; Amelia, wife 
of Andrew Schott, an agriculturist of Chatfield township; and Charlie, who is 
engaged in the cultivation of a tract of land in Huron county, Ohio. 

In the schools of his native land Joseph M. Shell pursued a thorough edu- 
cation in the German tongue, and after coming to America he was through 
one winter a student in the English school near his home. He .also attended 
night school, and thus became a well-informed man, whose knowledge is con- 
tinually being supplemented by reading, experience and observation. In early 



616 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

manhood he entered his father's pottery and mastered the business. Believing 
that better opportunities were afforded for advancement in the new world, he 
bade adieu to home and friends in 1865 and sailed for the United States, land- 
ing in New York City on the 12th of November, after a voyage of forty-nine 
days on the sailing vessel Louis Henry. The day after his arrival he pro- 
ceeded to Cleveland, where he arrived with a cash capital of only two dollars, 
and of this sum he paid one dollar and fifty-six cents for a comfort. For two 
years he worked at his trade in that city and then went to Shenandoah, Rich- 
land county, where he engaged in the pottery business for a year. It was dur- 
ing his residence there that he supplemented his education by one term's attend- 
ance in the district school. In the spring of 1868 he came to New Washington, 
Crawford county, erected a residence and a shop and embarked in the pottery 
business on his own account. But the new enterprise did not prove profitable, 
and after a year he closed his shop and secured a situation in connection with 
the building of the Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad, which 
was then being constructed through New Washington. He was employed in 
that capacity for about a year and also worked in a water house. Later he 
followed any labor that would yield him a living, and in the fall of 1874. hav- 
ing through his diligence, perseverance and economy acquired some capital, 
he purchased forty acres of land one mile west of his present home. In the 
following spring he removed to his farm, which was partially cleared, and with 
characteristic energy began its further development and improvement, trans- 
forming it into a comfortable home and richly cultivated fields. He soon re- 
modeled the house and in 1881 lie built a bank barn. Two years later he sold 
the property for one hundred and ten dollars per acre, and through the suc- 
ceeding year he engaged in the cultivation of a farm belonging to his brother- 
in-law. Mr. Muhr. In 1884 he purchased his present property, comprising a 
tract of eighty acres in Cranberry township, and has to-day one of the most 
attractive and desirable farms in the county. His life has been one of marked 
industry and enterprise, and upon this sure foundation he has builded the super- 
structure of his success. 

Mr. Shell was married November 12, 1868, to Miss Catherine Kreim, a 
native of the same town in which occurred the birth of her husband. She 
was brought to America by her parents when only four years of age, and by 
her marriage she has become the mother of ten children, of whom seven are 
yet living, namely : Rosa, the wife of Edward Alt, of New Washington ; 
Edward, who is a graduate and now a teacher in the Catholic school of North 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 617 

Auburn; Mary, the wife of George Uhl, of Cranberry township; Katharina, 
Amelia, Frank and Leon, all of whom are still with their parents. 

Careful consideration of the political issues and questions of the day has 
led Mr. Shell to identify himself with the Democracy, and upon that ticket in 
1887 he was elected township trustee, in which position he served for six 
years. He was also a member of the election board of Cranberry township for 
nine years, and during the greater part of that period served as presiding judge 
of the board. In 1900 he was elected land appraiser of the township and 
filled the office of a member of the school board for several years. In every 
political position in which he has been called to serve he has discharged his 
duties with promptness and reliability, displaying marked loyalty to the 
trusts reposed in him. He is a zealous member of the Catholic church and 
was one of the liberal contributors toward the erection of its house of worship 
in New Washington. He came to America a poor young man, empty-handed, 
yet with strong will and determined purpose, and these stood him in stead of 
fortune. They served as a starting point on the highway of prosperity, and 
steadilv has he advanced, gaining as the result of his energetic labors a favor- 
able and well-merited confidence. 

WESLEY GRUBB. 

Among the respected, well-known and popular residents of Crawford 
county, Ohio, is Wesley Grubb, who owns a fine farm in Todd township, but 
who for the past sixteen years has been engaged in the blacksmithing business 
in this locality. The birth of Air. Grubb was in Cumberland county, Pennsyl- 
vania, on September 5, 1845, an d ne was a son nt John and Margaret (Em- 
minger) Grubb, who reared a family of eight children; four oC. these still 
survive, namely: Catherine, who is Mrs. Russell, of Wichita, Kansas; Agnes, 
who is Mrs. James Cordell, of Boone, Iowa ; Alary, who is Airs. Luther Alinich, 
of Paola, Kansas; and Wesley, who is the subject of this biography. 

John Grubb was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, in June, 
1813, and grew up on the farm, married and rented land until 1854, at which 
time he emigrated to Ohio, with his family, coming first to Richland county 
and spending a short time in Mansfield. After looking over the countrv he 
found a tract of land consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, located on 
the Ashland road, which suited his fancy, and this he bought, and it remained 
the family home until 1859, when he sold it and came to Crawford county, 
where he purchased a farm of eighty-three acres east of Osceola, in Todd town- 



618 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ship. However, in 1864, as his two sons had left home, one going to Iowa and 
our subject entering the army, Mr. Grubb rented his farm and removed into 
Osceola and was engaged there for several years in the sawmill and mercantile 
business. In 1887 he removed to Kansas and has since that time made his 
home with his daughter Alary. The mother of our subject, nee Margaret 
Emminger, died when her children were grown, and Mr. Grubb was later 
united in marriage to Miss Emily Poole, there being no issue from this mar- 
riage, and she has been dead for the past fifteen years. Mr. Grubb is now 
in his eighty-ninth year and is still in possession of all of his faculties, still 
takes and active and intelligent interest in the doings of the Republican party 
and is revered in the Methodist church, in which his membership has covered 
more than fifty years. 

Wesley Grubb, who is the subject of this biography, was the youngest of 
his parents' children, and he received a good common-school education. He 
was but eighteen years old when he offered his services to his country, enlist- 
ing in Company A, Twelfth Ohio Cavalry, on October 2$, 1863, as a private, 
and one year later he was made an officer, although still so youthful. He 
continued in the service until the expiration of his enlistment, and was mus- 
tered out on November 14, 1865, after taking part in some of the most serious 
engagements of the Civil war, these being: Mt. Sterling, Kentucky; Marion, 
Virginia ; Cynthiana, Kentucky ; Salt Works, Virginia ; Salisbury, North Car- 
olina ; and various minor engagements. 

After his return from the army Mr. Grubb went to work for his father 
in the sawmill, later for Judd & Decker, in the Osceola gristmill, but after his 
marriage he located on a farm, managing his father's property for two years. 
His wife then inherited the farm upon which our subject now resides from her 
father's estate, and upon this property our subject erected a handsome resi- 
dence, which has been the family home ever since, although Mr. Grubb does 
not actively engage in farming. He has a predisposition for working in iron, 
and although he never served an apprenticeship he has conducted a very suc- 
cessful smithy for the past sixteen years, his work comparing favorably with 
that of those who learned the trade in the old style. 

In 1868 our subject was married to Miss Rhoda A. Williams, who was 
born in Ashland county, Ohio, a daughter of Reason Williams, who was a 
member of Company C, One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio* Volunteer In- 
fantry, and gave his life for his country. Two children have been born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Grubbs, — Emmett, deceased, and Ethel, at home. Mrs. Grubbs died 
October 11, 1901. v 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 619 

Mr. Grubb is an ardent Republican and possesses considerable influence 
in public affairs, but is no seeker after official favor. Fraternally he is a 
Mason and is connected with Nevada Lodge, No. 343, A. F. & A. M., of which 
he served as worshipful master for live years, and with Leith Post, ( \. A. R., 
of Nevada, Ohio, holding the offices of past commander, quartermaster and 
adjutant, and is aide-de-camp of the Department of Ohio, G. A. R., at the 
present time. Rhoda, wife of Wesley, died October 11, 1901. Air. Grubb 
is one of the highly esteemed citizens of this county, and enjoys the friendship 
and respect of all who have come into fellowship with him. He was a brave 
soldier, and since that time he has been a useful citizen, upholding the laws 
and exerting an influence through his locality in favor of all measures looking 
to the material interests of his county, township, neighborhood and home. 



ISAAC SNAVELY. 

Isaac Snavelv has resided in Ohio for more than half a century and is 
a representative of one of the honored pioneer families. People of the present 
end-of-the-century period can scarcely realize the struggles and dangers which 
attended the early settlers, the heroism and self-sacrifice of lives passed upon 
the borders of civilization, the hardships endured, the difficulties overcome. 
These tales of the early days read almost like a romance to- those who have 
known only the modern prosperity and conveniences. To the pioneer of the 
early days, far removed from the privileges and conveniences of city or town. 
the struggle for existence was a stern and hard one, and these men and women 
must have possessed indomitable energies and sterling worth of character, as 
well as marked physical courage, when they thus voluntarily selected such a 
life and successfully fought its battles under such circumstances as prevailed^ 
in the northwest. The grandparents of our subject were Isaac and Anna 
( Baum ) Suavely. The father of our subject was Michael Suavely, who was 
horn in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, August 17, 1818, and when a young 
man he became a resident of Richland comity, Ohio. There he was united in 
marriage to Miss Barbara Whistler, who was born in Bucks county, Pennsyl- 
vania, February 19, 1829, and was a daughter of Jacob and Nancy A. (Funk)' 
Whistler. Her father was born in Bucks c ounty, Pennsylvnaia, March 3, 180 1, 
and there spent his youth, learning the trade of wagon-making. Through fol- 
lowing that occupation he accumulated some money, and in 1833 he emigrated 

to Ohio, making the journey by wagon with his family and bringing with him 
34 



620 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

his few household effects. He located in Franklin township, Richland comity. 
They had intended to travel further, but the birth of a child, now Mrs. Sarah 
Smith, on the night of their arrival in Franklin township, caused them to locate 
there, and Mr. Whistler entered land, eventually becoming one of the well-to-do 
farmers of the community. He first secured from the government a tract of 
one hundred and sixty acres, on which he built his cabin and began the task 
of clearing away the trees and preparing the soil for the plow. As his financial 
resources increased he added to his property until he had some four hundred 
acres. He also purchased extensive landed interests in Wood and Hancock 
counties and gave to each of his sons three hundred and fifty acres of land 
and to each of his daughters one hundred and sixty acres. He was a member 
of the Dunkard church and earnest Christian principles permeated his life, 
making him a man whose example was well worthy of emulation. He died 
August 13, 1883. 

Michael and Barbara (Whistler) Suavely established their home in Rich- 
land county, Ohio, where they remained until about six months after the birth 
of our subject, when they removed to Crawford county, the father entering 
one hundred and sixty acres of the farm whereon he now resides. This was 
then a tract of virgin forest, only a small portion of the farm having been 
cleared, while upon the little patch of land had been erected a log cabin inhab- 
ited by an earlier settler. Mr. Suavely was a man of energy and strong de- 
termination and at once began the task of cutting away the trees and putting 
the land under cultivation. There he carried on farming until his death. 
About 1874 he purchased an additional tract of eight} - acres, so that his farm 
comprised altogether two hundred and forty acres. His political support was 
given to the Democracy, and he was a life-long and earnest member of the 
German Baptist church. His death occurred November 2$, 1884, an d his 
wife died in 1887. They had five children, but only two are living: Isaac and 
JMary A., the latter now the wife of Adam B. Wolf, of Cranberry township. 

Isaac Snavely, being but an infant when brought to Crawford county, 
mav be said to have passed his entire life within its borders, and is, therefore, 
•closely identified with its interests. He attended the common schools in his 
youth and was trained to farm work, so that he was well prepared to carry on 
agricultural pursuits on his own account when, after his marriage, he began 
the improvement of a farm. He erected a set of buildings on the west half of 
the old homestead and took up his abode there with his young bride, operating 
•eighty acres of land. Thereon he made his home until his father's death, 
•when he exchanged his farm for the property of his brother, who was culti- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 621 

vating the east half of the home place. He thereby acquired the old home 
residence and cared for his mother until she, too, passed away. 

Mr. Snavely has been twice married. In October, 1872, he wedded Miss 
Sarah E. Resh, a native of Huron county, Ohio, and a daughter of Henrv 
Resh, a prominent agriculturist. They had three children, of whom two are 
living : Clara, now the wife of Albert Musselman, of Cranberry township ; and 
Barbara, at home. The mother died in September, 1881, and on the 25th of 
August, 1882, Mr. Snavely was joined in wedlock to Mrs. Harvey Swartz, 
who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Musselman. They now have five 
children, — Ray W., Arthur G., Florence A., Samuel A. and John W., and the 
family circle has never been broken by the hand of death. 

Mr. Snavely has never been an aspirant for public office, but when election 
day comes round he manifests his political preference by casting his ballot for 
the adherents of the Democracy. He belongs to the German Baptist church 
and was one of the leaders in the erection of Cranberry Chapel in 1879, it being 
used as the union church by the German Baptists, the Church of God, the Free- 
Will Baptists and the Methodists. 

Such, in brief, is the life record of Isaac Snavely, whose progressive spirit 
has enabled him to achieve success in business affairs and whose upright life 
has been the means of gaining for him the warm regard of many friends. 

JOSEPH MOLLENKOP. 

Joseph Mollenkop was born on a farm in Bucyrus township, Crawford 
county, Ohio. November 4, 1865, and is a son of Samuel and Eliza ( Deppler) 
Mollenkop, both parents being natives of Ohio. They were married in Craw- 
ford county and settled on a farm in Bucyrus township. In after vears they 
removed to Sandusky township, and there the father died in 1876, aged forty- 
seven years. Subsequently the mother married \Yilliam G. Kail), with whom 
she now lives in the town of Chatfield. 

Our subject was reared on the farm. Upon his own resources he was 
thrown at the age of eleven years, at the death of his father. At the age of 
eighteen years he came to Chatfield. where he has since made his home, being 
engaged as a clerk in a general store. For the past sixteen years he has 
clerked for A. Muth, general merchant. In 1892 he married Mary Muth, a 
daughter of his employer, and unto the marriage two children have been born, 
namely : Pearl and Raymond. 

In politics Mr. Mollenkop is a Republican, and he has been postmaster of 



622 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Chatiield since 1898. In 1896 he was elected justice of the peace, which office- 
he held for one term. His education was obtained in the public schools. He- 
is a self-made man, and is esteemed and respected for his many sterling- 
qualities. 

E. M. NEFF. 

When determined purpose and unflagging perseverance are lacking effort 
is rendered futile and resolution unavailing. Well-formulated plans and a 
close adherence thereto, these are the necessary concomitants of success, and 
as exemplified in the career of Mr. Xeff, have brought to him a richly merited 
degree of prosperity. Fie is now in control of one of the leading dry goods 
stores of Crestline, his native city, and occupies an enviable position in com- 
mercial circles. 

Mr. Xeff was born November 10, 1863. His father, John Neff, was a 
native of Germany, and after arriving at years of maturity was there married. 
He afterward crossed the Atlantic to "the land of the free," and located in 
Gabon, Ohio, where he followed his chosen occupation of carpentering, being 
employed in the railroad shops. Some time in the '60s he removed to Crest- 
line and became proprietor of a hotel, which he conducted up to' the time of 
his death, which occurred when he was about fifty-nine years of age. He was 
a member of the German Lutheran church, lived in harmony with his Chris- 
tian belief, and his fair name in business was never tarnished by unscrupulous 
dealings. By his first marriage he had three children. When their mother 
had passed away he was again married, in this country, to Mrs. Catherine 
(Burkhardt) Henge, a widow. She, too, is a native of the fatherland, and is 
still living. She first married Anthony Henge, and by that union had one son. 
The parents of our subject had five sons and one daughter of the second mar- 
riage, of whom three are still living. 

E. M. Xeff. their youngest child, was reared in Crestline and acquired 
his education in the schools of the town, but at the age of fifteen years he 
started out in life on his own account, securing a clerkship in the employ of the 
firm of McKean & Thoman, with whom he remained for twelve years, master- 
ing the business in principle and detail and giving the fullest satisfaction to 
employers and patrons, as shown by his long continuation with the house. 
For about five years of the time he was chief clerk. In 1891 he embarked in 
business on his own account, opening a small "Rackett" store with a very 
limited stock. From that humble beginning, however, has grown his present 
excellent establishment with its large stock and modern appointments. In 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 623 

1896 he erected a two-story brick building on Setzer street, and now has one of 
the largest dry goods establishments in the town. He enjoys a large and con- 
stantly increasing patronage and has a very enviable reputation for straight- 
forward dealing. In addition to his store he has other business interests, being 
a stockholder in the Schill Brothers Manufacturing Company and in the First 
National Bank. 

In 1884 occurred the marriage of Mr. Neff and Miss Emma Lampert, a 
native of Crestline and a daughter of William and Jamima Lampert. Their 
marriage has been blessed with eight children: Stella J.. Arthur J., Theador 
M., Norma E.. Millita, Edward G., Catherine and Marthia. The parents hold 
membership in the German Lutheran church, in which Mr. Neff has held sev- 
eral offices, including that of treasurer for six years and trustee for two years. 
He has taken a very active part in its work and is a generous contributor to all 
measures calculated to prove of general good along lines of reform and prog- 
ress. In politics he is a Democrat, and, as every true American should do, 
feels an interest in the success of the principles in which he believes, but has 
never been an office seeker, preferring to devote his energies to his business 
affairs, in which he is meeting with very creditable prosperity. 

ROBERT T. JOHNSTON. 

Among the worthy pioneers of Crawford county was Robert Thompson 
Johnston. More than a half century of his useful and exemplary life was 
spent in Bucyrus, and to the upbuilding of the city he contributed in no smail 
degree, so that no compendium of the county would be complete without the 
record of his career. He was born on the 30th of October, 1822, in Wooster, 
Ohio, his parents being Thomas and Abigail ( Powell ) Johnston. In tracing 
the family genealogy it is found that the first of the name in America was the 
father of our subject. He was born in County Down, Ireland, in 1782, and 
probably left the Emerald Isle when about seventeen years of age, for he be- 
came a naturalized citizen of the United States in 180S, in Fayette county, 
Pennsylvania, where his naturalization certificate was issued, stating that he 
had been a resident of the country for five years. Hence the probable date of 
his emigration was 1802. He was a tailor by trade, and in the early part of 
the century he settled in Columbiana county, Ohio, where in 18 16 he took an 
apprentice. The paper of indenture is now in possession of his grandson, and 
is a contract between Thomas Johnston and a youth who desired to learn tailor- 
ing. We infer that Mr. Johnston was married at the time, for according to 



624 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the terms of the contract he agreed to clothe and board the youth, for in those 
days apprenticeship nearly always carried with it the agreement that the pupil 
should be taken into the home of the "master.'' Thomas Johnston died at 
Wooster, Ohio, in the year 1853, his wife preceding him in death, passing 
away in the year 1841, aged fifty-seven years. 

Unto Thomas and Abigail (Powell) Johnston five children were born, 
namely : Thomas Powell, Mary, Eliza, Rebecca and Robert Thompson. With 
their family the parents removed from Columbian county to Wooster, W T ayne 
county, and there they continued to- reside until Robert T. Johnston, their sec- 
ond son, was eight years of age, when they removed to a farm in the same 
county, making it their home for seven successive years. This while, the early 
childhood of Robert T. Johnston was spent in the town of his nativity. His 
youth, up to the age of fifteen, was passed upon the farm, where his lot was 
not unlike that of other farmer lads, whose privilege it is while developing 
into manhood to enjoy the wholesomeness of rural life and there learn lessons 
of industry and perseverance. His educational privileges were necessarily 
limited, for the schools of Ohio at that time were quite unlike those of to-day, 
which have reached a high standard of excellence. For the purpose of edu- 
cating their children the parents returned to Wooster, where Robert attended 
school for a year and then entered a printing office, where he was employed 
for a little more than two years. Owing- to failing health he decided to 1 give up 
the printing business and turn his attention to the study of medicine. For 
three and a half years he was a student in the office of Dr. S. Bissell, of Woos- 
ter, teaching school in winter, and for two years he attended medical lectures 
at Willoughby College. He then practiced for one year in association with 
his preceptor at Wooster. 

Dr. Johnston came to Bucyfus in November, 1845, — a poor young man. 
His chosen profession did not prove congenial and he engaged in the drug 
business shortly after arriving in the city, opening the first drug store here in 
1845, with Jabez B. Larwill as a partner. This relationship was maintained 
f( ir about three years. While Dr. Johnston remained a member of the medical 
fraternity for only a brief period, he was always called by the title. Upon the 
close of the partnership with Mr. Larwill, Dr. Johnston sought to continue 
in the drug business, but having no capital of his own, and it being the custom 
of wholesale druggists in the east to lend a helping hand to worthy and reli- 
able young men in the rapidly growing west, he was aided by the firm of J. M. 
Maris & Company, of Philadelphia, which house, at its own risk, in 1848 sup- 
plied him with a stock of goods. This was a strong testimonial of the busi- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 62$ 

ness reputation which he bore. The confidence thus reposed in him he ever 
merited, and the firm of J. M. Maris & Company remained his friends for years 
afterward, even until his demise. It was at the beginning of his career as a 
druggist that Jabez B. Larwell became associated with him. The store was 
located in a frame building on the east side of Sandusky avenue, but after the 
dissolution of the partnership in 1848 Dr. Johnston removed into the building 
still occupied by the Johnston Drug Store. There he continued business uniil 
his life labors were ended in death. For more than half a century he was in 
the drug business in Bucyrus, and throughout the greater part of that period 
he occupied one building. As the years passed his trade became increasingly 
profitable and he amassed a very comfortable competence as the result of his 
close attention to business, honest dealing, steady habits and a thorough knowl- 
edge of drugs and their properties, together with a spirit of kindness and 
friendship toward his fellow men. 

In his youth Dr. Johnston was taught that the principles of the Demo- 
cratic party were for the good of all classes, but he was opposed to the institu- 
tion of slavery, and as the Republican party opposed the extension of slavery 
he joined its ranks in 1856. During the administration of President James 
K. Polk he served as postmaster of Bucyrus, but other than this he held no 
political position of any importance. In matters religious he was of the Pres- 
byterian faith. The records of the Bucyrus Presbyterian church show that on 
the 14th of August, 1846, he united with that congregation by letter from the 
church at Wooster, Ohio. His faithful, consistent and blameless Christian 
life made him not only a strong influence in behalf of Christianity at large but 
also a strong pillar in his immediate church. Plis clear comprehension and 
unusually strong mentality rendered him authority in all points of church doc- 
trine and polity. For years he was a ruling elder in the church and labored 
earnestly and effectively for its welfare. He was one of the organizers of the 
Oakwood Cemetery Association and served as its treasurer for about thirty 
years. For several years prior to his death he was afflicted with rheumatism, 
and, being unable to walk, he would ride each week day to and from his place 
of business, and seldom did he miss divine seiwices at the church on Sunday. 
He was stricken with paralysis Tuesday night, January 31, 1899, and on Sun- 
day, February 5, he passed to the great beyond. Thus passed away a man 
whose life was blameless, whose example was well worthy of emulation. Mis 
life shed a helpful and beneficent influence upon all with whom he came in 
contact, and his memory remains as a blessed benediction to all who knew him. 

Dr. Johnston was united in marriage, October 24, 1850, to Miss Pamelia 



626 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

F. Haskell, of Pittsburg, who survives him and still resides in Bueynis, where 
she is loved and esteemed for her many sterling qualities and Christian char- 
acter. She was born in Newport, Ohio., February 2, 1830, a daughter of 
Charles and Elizabeth (Dana) Haskell. Her father was a son of Major 
Jonathan and Phoebe (Green) Haskell, the former a native of Massachusetts, 
who served with distinction as an officer in the war of the American Revolu- 
tion. Unto the marriage of Dr. and Mrs. Johnston were born three children: 
Belle C, who lives with her mother; Frank Thompson; and Pamelia Dana, 
now the wife of Charles M. Hord, of Columbus, Kansas. The son was born 
in Bucyrus, March 23. 1857. was reared in his native city and has here spent 
his entire life. He pursued his preliminary education in the schools of Bu- 
cyrus and then entered Wooster University, returning home in 1878. He then 
became associated in business with bis father, who made him a partner in the 
enterprise, and in 1879 he was graduated in the Cincinnati College of Phar- 
macy. After his return the firm style of R. T. Johnston & Son was assumed, 
and for a number of years before the father's death the son was the active 
manager of the business which he has since conducted with excellent success. 
In 1882 Frank T. Johnston was married to Miss Clara U. Rupp, a native of 
Bucyrus and a daughter of Charles G. and Margaret J. (Ruhl) Rupp. Three 
children, Ralph R,, Bessie P. and Margaret H., have been born of this 
marriage. 

ADAM LEONHART. 

For almost a third of a century Adam Leonhart has resided upon the valu- 
able and attractive farm in Chatfield township which is now his home and 
where he owns and operates two hundred and thirty-four acres of land. He 
was born on the old Leonhart homestead in the same township, September 15, 
1840, and there remained until twenty-one years of age, his childhood and 
youth being passed in the usual manner of farmer lads of the period. The 
duties of the schoolroom, the pleasures of the playground and the labors of the 
fields on the home farm occupied his attention. Thus the vears went by until 
he had attained his majority, when he sought as a companion for the journey of 
life Miss Mary Crabach, and their marriage was celebrated on the 8th of 
March, 1868. Mr. Leonhart then began farming as a renter, first renting a 
portion of his father's farm, later other lands, and for several vears farmed 
rented lands. He owns two hundred and thirty-four acres of land, all in one 
body, including a tract of valuable timber land. It has been divided into fields 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 627 

of convenient size for cultivation, and almost always he raises good crops, 
which sell at high market prices, thus bringing him a merited reward for his 
labor. 

The home of Mr. and Airs. Leonhart has been blessed with six children, 
as follows: Elizabeth, the wife of William Kline, of Cranberry township, 
Crawford county ; Ira A., who is living in New Washington ; Emma ; Oliver 
H., a veterinary surgeon ; and Nora and Walter, at home. They have also lost 
one child, Clara B., who died at the age of seven years. The family attend 
the German Evangelical Lutheran church, of which Mr. Leonhart is a con- 
sistent member. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the men 
and measures of the Democratic part}-, but has never been an aspirant for the 
honors and emoluments of public office, preferring to give his attention to his 
farming operations, whereby he has gained a place among the men of affluence 
in his community. 

Mention of his parental history is made in the biography of John Leon- 
hart, his eldest brother. 

ADAM REICHHARD. 

For a quarter of a century Adam Reichhard has made his home upon the 
farm in Chatfield township which he still occupies. He is numbered among the 
native sons of the county, his birth having occurred in Cranberry township, 
November 4, 1836, his parents being Henry and Elizabeth Reichhard. The 
father was born in the western part of Germany and when a young- 
man crossed the briny deep to the new world. Here he was married and six 
children were born of the union, namely: Elizabeth, now deceased; Adam; 
Annie, who has also passed away: John, a resident of Columbus, Ohio; Cath- 
erine; and Henry, who is living in New Washington. It was in the year 1834 
that the father came to Crawford county, establishing his home in Cranberry 
township, where he died in 1848. our subject being then twelve years of age. 

When a child of two years, however, Air. Reichhard, of this review, be- 
came a member of the family of Adam Kaylor, whose wife was an aunt of Mr. 
Reichhard's mother, and with them our subject remained throughout his boy- 
hood and youth and when they were old they made their home with Mr. Reich- 
hard. Farm work occupied much of his attention in youth, and the district 
schools of the neighborhood afforded him his educational privileges. On the 
9th of July, 1857, he wedded Miss Elizabeth Leonhart. a daughter of George 
Leonhart, and unto them have been born thirteen children, of whom ten are 



628 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

yet living: Frank, John, William, Fred, George, Kate, Maggie, Ella, Lena, 
Helma and Elizabeth. Adam and Tillie are now deceased. 

Soon after his marriage Mr. Reichhard began farming in Chatfield town- 
ship and in iS;r(> took up his abode upon the farm where he now lives. For 
four years prior to that time he had engaged in buying and selling stock of all 
kinds. He owns here eighty acres of land and has six hundred and forty acres 
in Texas. He deals in stock and also carries on general farming and for thirty- 
three years engaged in the operation of a threshing machine. 

His life has been a busy one, industry being one of his most marked char- 
acteristics. This forms the basis of all success, and his extensive operations 
and well directed business affairs have brought to Mr. Reichhard enviable pros- 
perity. Fie has yet found time to devote to public interests and his fellow 
townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, have frequently called him to 
public office. For seven years he served as constable, was road master for 
eighteen years and school director for twenty years, discharging the duties of 
all the offices in a most capable and reliable manner, so that over the record of 
his public career there falls no shadow of wrong. In his political views he is 
a Democrat, and religiously he is a member of the German Evangelical Luth- 
eran church. Those who* have known him from boyhood are numbered among 
his warmest friends — a fact which indicates that his has been a life worthy 
of high regard. Through more than six decades he has resided in the county 
and well does he deserve mention among her representative citizens. 

ALEXANDER McKEAN. 

There is not in Jefferson township, Craw ford county, Ohio, a man who 
is held in higher esteem for all that constitutes good citizenship than the sub- 
ject of this sketch. Alexander McKean was born in Leesville, Ohio, June 2j, 
1839, a son of Dr. John and Rebecca (McClaskey) McKean. Dr. John Mc- 
Kean, a detailed account of whose life would be very interesting reading, was 
born at Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, February io, 18 10. Long before that 
time his father had carried the mail on horseback between Pittsburg, Penn- 
sylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland, and in 18 19, when the future physician 
was about nine years old, the family removed to Calcutta, Columbiana county, 
Ohio, where the youth gained a good common school education and a practical 
knowledge of business as it was transacted there at that time. When quite 
young he began teaching school, studying medicine in his spare moments and 
in that employment he earned money with which to pay for his professional ed- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 629 

ucation. In 1830, equipped with the necessary diploma and some little experi- 
ence as a medical practitioner, he started out on horseback in quest of a location 
in which to practice his profession. He passed through Mansfield, Ohio, which 
did not appear promising to him, and at Galion he found only a few log cabins. 
While taking dinner at the last mentioned settlement he met the Rev. Robert 
Lee, the founder of the village of Leesville, who pursuaded the young physician 
to locate at that point. For four y ears he boarded with the Rev. Mr. Lee and 
was practically a member of his household. Then he married Miss McClas- 
key, who bore him nine children, the following information concerning the 
most of whom will be of interest in this connection. Their daughter Mar- 
garet, who became Mrs. Robert Hall, is dead. Alexander, who is the imme- 
diate subject of this sketch, was the second in order of birth. William, Re- 
becca J. and John L. are dead. Eugenia is the wife of John Ludlum, superin- 
tendent of the Barnett shops at Canton, Ohi< 1. Jac< ib lives in California. Emma 
is the wife of D. G. R. Edwards, of Los Angeles, California. 

Dr. McKean lived at Leesville, Ohio, giving his entire attention to a grow- 
ing medical practice, until 1806, and then removed to Crestline, Ohio, where 
he practiced his profession until 1879, when he retired. He died in 1890, aged 
eighty years. His wife died in 1886. They were consistent members of the 
Presbyterian church, in which he took great interest. He was a well read man 
who gave much attention to the world's progress in every department of hu- 
man endeavor, and he was a charitable man who gave his professional services 
freely even when there was no hope of pecuniary reward. He rode over the 
country in all directions from his place of residence and had hundreds of ac- 
counts on his books, but it is said of him that he never sued on any claim or 
pressed any delinquent unduly. 

Alexander, his oldest son, was born and reared and educated at Lees- 
ville, Ohio, and at the age of twenty-two moved upon a farm near that place, 
where he lived until 1872. From 1872 to 1889 he lived on a farm near Crest- 
line, and in 1889 he located on his present farm in Jefferson township. Craw- 
ford county. He is the owner of eighty acres of good land and gives his atten- 
tion to' the production of miscellaneous crops. He is a Republican, and while 
not a practical politician he has been active in promoting all measures tend- 
ing to benefit the township and county. Devoted to his church, the Lutheran, 
he has been liberal in the support of religious worship wherever he has lived. 
His life embraces not only the modern but the pioneer period of the history 
of this part of the country and is rich in reminiscence of the early days. Among 
other recollections is one concerning the advent of the first cook stove at Lees- 



630 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ville. Money as a commodity those times was scarce, and his father having 
secured a load of wheat from the settlers for medical services, and for the 
express purpose of buying a stove, hired John Clements to haul it to Sandusky 
City, a distance of sixty miles. Clements returned with the stove on the even- 
ing of the fifth days after leaving, when every one in the village turned out to 
see it. 

Mr. McKean was married January i, 1862, to Margaretta Osborn, who 
died August 19, 1897. To them were born ten children, nine of whom are liv- 
ing. Bernhard, the oldest son, is married and lives on the farm. Sherwood, 
a railroader, lives in Crestline. Ohio. Irene died April 4. 1880. Hall and 
Claude, both railroaders, reside in Pratt, Kansas. Grace is the wife of William 
Thoman, also a resident of Pratt, Kansas. Pearl is the wife of Elmer Courter, 
whose home is in Galion, Ohio, and who is a railroader. The three voungest, 
Ariadne, Edna and Philena, live with their father on the old homestead. 

BENJAMIN F. LASH. 

One of the highly respected farmers of Crawford county, Ohio, is Ben- 
jamin Franklin Lash, who was born in Crawford county, in Auburn town- 
ship, on December 17, 1840, and he was a son of Peter and Mary (Fredline) 
Lash, extended notice of whom may be found in the sketch of Peter B. Lash, 
in another part of this volume. 

Benjamin Franklin Lash was reared on the home farm and obtained his 
education in the common schools of the neighborhood. His father died at 
the age of forty-three years, and from the age of seventeen years the manage- 
ment of the home farm fell upon his shoulders. After his marriage he still 
continued on the home farm, operating it for his mother, on shares, for some 
five years. He then purchased a farm of fifty acres in Sharon township, in 
Richland county, and resided upon that property for the following two years. 
During this time the Mansfield, Cold Water & Michigan Railroad was built 
through his property, and he was made foreman of construction for four miles 
of the road, and after the completion of this division of the road he was made 
an offer of the important position of division master, but he did not accept 
the position, on account of the objections of his family to his becoming a rail- 
road man. 

Selling his farm at this time, Mr. Lash went to Plymouth township, in 
Richland county, and there bought eighty acres, but in the following summer 
the railway officials solicited him to accept a position in their service, but he 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 631 

still declined. For four years he remained on the Plymouth farm and then 
purchased one hundred and twenty acres of his present home farm, in Auburn 
township, in Crawford county. This was in the spring of 1876, and five years 
later he purchased the sixty acres lying directly across the road from his 
home property. Both of these farms are highly improved and well represent 
the excellent agricultural conditions for which Crawford county has long 
been noted. 

On January 12, 1865, Mr. Lash was united in marriage to Miss Sarah T. 
Kauffman, who was a native of Cranberry township and a daughter of Dan- 
iel and Elizabeth Kauffman, the latter having come to Crawford count}- and 
settled in Cranberry township early in the '40s. Three children have been 
born to this union, the two survivors being: Alary E., at home; and Nellie 
Clyde, the wife of Elias Cashman, who resides on our subject's sixty-acre 
farm and operates the whole farm. 

The first vote Mr. Lash cast for president was for Abraham Lincoln, and 
he has always been active in party affairs, serving in several of the local offices, 
notably during one term as land appraiser and one term as township assessi u\ 
His parents were among the organizers of the United Brethren church on the 
Auburn circuit, and some of the family is still connected with that religious 
body, but our subject and family are connected with the Methodist church, 
and for the past forty-four years Mr. Lash has been one of its leading members 
and hearty and liberal supporters. For many years he has served as superintend- 
tne of the Sunday-school and has done much t« 1 awaken and keep alive an active 
interest in religious work in his locality. At present he is one of the class-lead- 
ers and has been the chorister ever since his earliest connection with it. Mr. 
Lash is a representative of an honored and esteemed ancestry, and he enjoys the 
position of being one of the representative men of Auburn township. With 
regard to his personal habits we may add that Mr. Lash has never chewed a 
particle of tobacco or smoked a cigar or pipe, and has never taken a drink of 
liquors of any kind, nor has played a game of cards or danced a jig. 

JOHN W. HUMPHREY. 

A prominent and highly esteemed citizen of Crawford county, Ohio, is 
John W. Humphrey, of Vernon township, whose birth was in New Haven, 
Huron county, Ohio, on January 28, 1836. He was the eldest son of Evan 
and Sarah E. (Hoyt) Humphrey, who reared ten children to useful manhood 
and womanhood. The other members of the family are as follows : Matilda, 



-632 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the wife of Peter Will, of Richland county; Franklin, who enlisted in Com- 
pany H, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, and 
-died of wounds received in the battle of Winchester, Virginia, in 1861 ; James, 
who was in the same company and died in Salisbury prison ; William, a resident 
of Kansas City; Sarah E., the wife of Samuel Esterline, of this township; 
Mary J., the wife of Ira Gloyd, of Kansas City; Jacob, a resident of Texas; 
Elmira, the wife of Henry Esterline, of Crestline ; and Evan, a horse dealer of 
Kansas City. 

Evan Humphrey, the father of our subject, was born in Virginia, in 1797, 
and grew to maturity in his native state, at which time he removed to Licking- 
county, Ohio, where some of his brothers and sisters had located, and while in 
that county engaged in driving a stage for a period, later going to Huron 
county, where he married and took up his residence in the town of New Haven. 
There Mr. Humphrey opened up a butcher business. At the birth of her in- 
fant Mrs. Humphrey died, and later Mr. Humphrey married Sarah E. Hoyt, 
who had been born in the state of New York and came with her parents to 
Huron county. 

In 1836 Evan Humphrey removed with his wife and two children to Craw- 
ford county, buying a farm of eighty acres of a Air. Hagerman, this farm being 
now the property of Samuel Esterline, and here he spent the remainder of his 
life. This land, when he took possession of it, was all timber and swamp, 
and predictions were made that the family would starve upon it before it was 
ever brought to a producing state ; but Air. Humphrey was not easily dis- 
mayed and not only lived to see it all cleared, but also to have it regarded as 
one of the most desirable and valuable farms in the county. First he added 
twenty acres to the original purchase, and by ditching and tiling changed its 
conditions, and upon it reared a family that equaled in robustness the children 
of those who doubted his earlier judgment. In his earlier days he voted with 
the Democratic party, but later in life adopted the principles of the Republican 
party. For a time the township election booth was in his house. Air. Humph- 
rev was an active member in the religious body known as the Church of God, 
for a number of years belonging to its official body. He lived to more than 
seventy-five years, and died one of the most highly esteemed men of his neigh- 
borhood. 

John W. Humphrey, of this biography,, attained his manhood in his home 
and was given superior educational advantages. After completing the common 
school course he was sent to the private seminary in De Kalb, which was con- 
ducted by a local educator of note, Professor Thompson, and at the age of 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 633 

twenty years he was deemed sufficiently educated to become a teacher himself. 
For six terms he taught in the district schools of his neighborhood, but his mar- 
riage closed this career, as then he began work as a farmer. For about five 
years Air. Humphrey managed the home farm for his father and later fol- 
lowed the same vocation on other rented land, but in 1874 he purchased eighty- 
seven acres of his present home farm, and subsequently has added eleven acres, 
making his present holdings a fraction over ninety-eight acres. Here he has 
demonstrated his ability as a farmer and now owns a tract of land which com- 
pares, in cultivation and improvement, very favorably with any other in this 
township. 

In 1858 Mr. Humphrey was married to Miss Rebecca Traub, who was a 
native of Galion, Ohio, and who was a daughter of Henry Traub, who came 
to Crawford county at an early day. To our subject and his wife have 
been born nine children, their names being as follows : William H., a resident 
of Auburn township; James B., of Stevensville, Montana; Emma, the wife of 
Arthur Knowles, of this township ; Sadie, the wife of Charles Gribben, of 
Richland county; Ella, the wife of Thomas B. Branton, of Montana; Cath- 
erine, the wife of George Gutschall, the farmer on our subject's home farm; 
and Anna, Zoe and Ira, at home. 

In politics Mr. Humphrey has always been in sympathy with the Demo- 
cratic party, and has most efficiently tilled a number of local offices. For the 
past twenty years he has been a justice of the peace, and for three successive 
terms he has been elected township clerk, and for two 1 years was one of the best 
and most satisfactory assessors the township ever had. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
Humphrey are consistent members of the Church of God, in which our subject 
has been an honored elder for more than fifteen years. He is a man of sterling 
character and is justly held in the highest esteem in his locality. 

AARON NEFF. 

Among the young men who are cultivating a portion of the soil of Craw- 
ford county with gratifying success should be mentioned Aaron Neff, who is 
a prominent agriculturist of Sandusky township. This is indeed a beautiful 
farming country, and the land which cur subject now cultivates is some of the 
best in the locality. 

A native son of the Buckeye state, Air. Xeff was born on the 21st of Feb- 
ruary, 1873, in Crawford county, a son of Joseph Neff, one of the most promi- 
nent and esteemed citizens of this countv. Aaron was reared to manhoood under 



634 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the paternal roof, acquiring his education in the common schools of his local- 
ity. At the age of twenty-two years, in company with his brother Emanuel, 
he came to Sandusky township, Crawford county, and began operating the two 
hundred and forty-four acres of land which belongs to his father, for which he 
pays cash rent. He is meeting with success in his venture as an agriculturist and 
he now occupies a front rank among the public-spirited and progressive young 
farmers of his locality. In his political views he is a stanch supporter of the 
Republican party. He is very popular and is held in high esteem by the people 
of his localitv for his honorable character and energetic nature. 

PETER ROSS. 

One of the fine farms in Lykens township is owned by Peter Ross, who 
has a valuable tract of three hundred and nineteen acres, all under a high state 
of cultivation and improved with all modern accessories. He has resided there- 
on for many vears and is numbered among the leading agriculturists of Craw- 
ford count}". 

Mr. Ross was born in Germany. November 19, 1836, a son of Peter and 
Margaret (Simmermacher) Ross, whose family numbered six children, name- 
ly : Catherine, who married Chris Kibler, of Chatfield township; Peter, of this 
review ; George, who died in 1899 ; Philip, who was one of the first contractors 
on building in Bucyrus, and now makes his home in this city ; Margaret, the 
wife of Charles Jacobs: and William, who is connected with the planing mills 
in Crestline, Ohio. 

During the first eighteen years of his life Peter Ross, of this review, re- 
mained in the fatherland, and during that period pursued his education in the 
public schools. It was in the year 1854 that he came to America as a passenger 
on a sailing vessel, which was twenty-eight days in reaching the harbor of New 
York. The following year his parents also came to the new^ world. Our sub- 
ject spent the first year after his arrival in working as a farm hand in Vernon 
township, and in 1855 he came to Lykens township, where his father purchased 
eightv acres of land, upon which he now resides. Only fifteen acres of the land 
had been cleared, and a log house was almost the only improvement on the 
place. Mr. Ross continued to engage in agricultural pursuits upon that farm 
until 1866, when he went to Jackson, where he was employed for a year. Later 
he rented land for a year and then returned to the old homestead, where he 
has since remained a resident. As his financial resources have increased he 
has made judicious investments in property and is to-day the owner of three 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 635 

hundred and nineteen acres, constituting one of the attractive and desirable 
farms of the county. The fields are thoroughly tilled and usually yield excellent 
crops. In his farming operations Mr. Ross has ever been industrious and pro- 
gressive, and his place, in its neat and thrifty appearance, is proof to the passer- 
by of the careful supervision of the owner. 

In 1867 Air. Ross married Miss Elizabeth Schimp, and unto them have 
been born ten children: Emma, deceased; Philip; Jacob; Henry, deceased; 
Charley, Adam, Tilley, Henry, Martha, who died on the 18th of October, 
1 901, and Christian. The parents are members of the Lutheran church, in 
which Air. Ross has served as trustee and as a township official. He con- 
tributes liberally to its support and is deeply interested in its welfare and 
growth. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and meas- 
ures of the Democracy. His life has been one of honorable activity, in which 
his enterprise and industry have enabled him to overcome all obstacles and 
work his way upward to success. It was a wise decision that brought him to 
America, for in this land he found the opportunities he sought and has gained 
a comfortable competence. 

EMANUEL NEFF. 

One of the most straightforward, energetic and successful business men 
of Sandusky township is Emanuel Neff, who has attained a front rank in agri- 
cultural circles in his locality. He was born in Holmes township, Crawford 
county, Ohio, on the 9th of January, 1870, a son of Joseph Neff, whose history 
will lie found on another page of this volume. Our subject was reared to man- 
hood on his father's farm, his educational advantages being those afforded by 
the common schools of his neighborhood. On the 28th of March, 1895, ne ' 
was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Krauter, a native of Cranberry town- 
ship and the daughter of Jacob Krauter, who came to this locality with his 
parents when a child, the family locating in Libert)' township. Immediate. 
after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Xeff came to Sandusky township, locating 
on the farm where the}' still reside and which belongs to his father. The place 
consists of two hundred and forty-four acres of rich and fertile land, and there 
our subject and his brother Aaron are extensively engaged in farming and 
stock-raising, their efforts in both branches of their business being attended 
with a high and gratifying success. They pay cash rent for the land. 

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Neff has been blessed with two children, — 

Lester E. and Ralph. Air. Neff exercises his right of franchise in support of 
35 



636 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the men and measures of the Republican party. He has made farming his 
life occupation, in which lie has been very successful, and his record thus far 
in life has been such as to commend him to the respect and esteem of all with 
whom he has had business or social intercourse. 



JOHN BENDER. 

A resident of Crawford county, John Bender has for many years been 
prominently identified with the agricultural interests of his locality, and has 
contributed materially to the advancement and progress of the county through 
this channel. He is a well informed man. possessed of broad general inform- 
ation, and in his nature there is nothing narrow or contracted. All who 
know him esteem him highly for his- genuine worth, and it is with pleasure 
that we present the record of his life to our readers. 

Born in Richland county, Ohio, on the 15th of December, 1852, he is a 
son of Jacob Bender, also a prominent agriculturist of Crawford count}'. 
Upon the homestead property our subject spent the days of his boyhood and 
youth, and his labors in the fields were alternated by stud}' in the district 
schools of the neighborhood. After reaching mature years he and his brother 
Philip began farming the old homestead as renters, which they continued until 
the brother removed to a place of his own, and our subject then continued 
operating the home farm alone for a time. After his father's death he pur- 
chased eighty acres of the place, the tract containing all of the farm buildings, 
and two years later, by his perseverance and constant toil, he was enabled to 
purchase an additional forty-five acres, and his landed possessions now aggre- 
gate one hundred and twenty-five acres, all being under a high state of culti- 
vation and improved with all the modern accessories and conveniences of a 
model farm of the present day. He is practical and progressive in his meth- 
ods of farming, and in the management of his business affairs he displays a 
.sound judgment that has brought to him a merited success. 

In 1884 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Bender and Miss Tracy 
Brady, a native of Henry county, Ohio, and a daughter of Cornelius and Anna 
( Kevs) Brady. The father was one of the earliest pioneers and most prom- 
inent farmers of Henry county, and he now makes his home with his son, 
Alphonses. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bender have been born ten children, — Edith, 
Ralph. Anna. Romain, Virl, Ollie, Moodie, Oliver, Otis and Lais, all still under 
the parental roof. In his political faith Mr. Bender is a stanch Democrat. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 637 

The family enjoy the hospitality of many of the best homes of Crawford 
county, and their circle of friends is almost co-extensive with their circle of 
acquaintances. 

JOHN H. MULFORD. 

The subject of this sketch is of that stanch old New Jersey stock which 
has planted the seeds of progress and of prosperity in all parts of our land. 
He has been known as a merchant and farmer for many years and is one of 
the leading- citizens of Texas township, Crawford county, Ohio. His father, 
John Mulford, a native of New Jersey and a tanner by trade, came to Ohio in 
1832 and worked at his trade in Monroeville, Huron county, until he r el- 
moved to Richland count}', where he bought eighty acres of land. After farm- 
ing for a while, he became a general merchant at Ganges, Richland county, 
where he traded successfully two years. At the end of that time he removed 
his enterprise to Bellville, where he ran a store for one year. From 185 1 to 
1868 he followed mercantile business successfully at Benton, Crawford county. 
Then, disposing of his mercantile interests, he retired to his farm, where he 
died December 20, 1878, at the age of seventy years. At the time of his 
death he owned three hundred and sixty acres of land. Influential in local 
affairs, he served for many years as township trustee and treasurer. In poli- 
tics he was a Republican. He was for many years a consistent and helpful 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His good wife survived him 
until June 2, 1892, when she died at the age of eighty-two years. Lodusky, 
wife of John Mulford, was the daughter of Silas Bevenstock, and came alone 
to Ohio about the year 1832, from Vermont. She taught school and was 
housekeeper for her brother, A. B. Bevenstock, after the death of his first wife. 
She was married to John Mulford, in 1834, and the}' had three children — 
William, Allen and John H. 

John H. Mulford was born near Bellville, Richland count}', Ohio, Jan- 
uary 2, 1845, an( l was s ' x years of age when his father removed to Benton, 
where he was reared to manhood. He gained a substantial education in the 
village school and had a valuable business experience as a clerk in his father's 
store. Later he turned his attention to farming and he was so employed until 
he married Julia Longwell, a daughter of Peter Longwell, February 29, 1868. 
For eight years after his marriage he lived in Lykens township, Crawford 
county, Ohio. From the spring of 1877 to 1896 he was the proprietor of a 
popular general store at Benton. Meantime, in 1885. he removed to his 



6$$ CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

present farm in Texas township and from that time until 1896 he was both a 
farmer and a merchant. Since he disposed of his store he has given his entire 
attention to general farming and stock-raising. He owns one hundred and 
sixty acres in Texas township and one hundred and eighty acres in Lykens 
township, making an aggregate of three hundred and forty acres. He is a 
Republican in politics, and has been treasurer of his township for ten years. 
He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which for some time he 
has held the office of trustee. Mr. and Mrs. Mulford have six children, named 
Rolla, Mary, Jesse, Milo, Cora and Oland. 

WILLIAM H. .MILLER. 

William Henry Miller is a passenger conductor on the Toledo & Ohio 
Central Railroad and makes his home in Bucyrus. He was born March 11, 
1858, in Tiffin, Ohio, and is a son of Louis Miller, whose birth occurred Feb- 
ruary 6, 1829, in Scheime, Alsace, which was a province of France prior to 
the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71. and came to this country with his parents 
in 1835, locating at Massillon, Stark county, Ohio, where he acquired his edu- 
cation and learned the shoemaker's trade, and in 1852 removed to Tiffin, Sen- 
eca c< 'Unty, this state. 

He married Eva Zircher, who was born December 16, 1833. in Alsace, 
France, and was brought to the United States in 1830, the family locat- 
ing on the boundary line between Seneca and Crawford counties. Her par- 
ents afterward removed to Tiffin, Ohio, about [870. Airs. Miller departed this 
life April 17, 1884, but the father of our subject is still living. 

In the common schools of his native city William II. Miller, of this re- 
view, pursued his education, and 1 n putting aside his text-books at the age of 
thirteen assisted his father in the c< nduct of a meat market. He was concerned 
with that business for about five years and then turned his attention to farming. 
For two years he engaged in operating a threshing machine and sawmill ma- 
chine, the former being the second one brought to Seneca count}". On the 5th 
of January, 1882, he came to Crawfi >rd county and accepted a position as brake- 
man on the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad, making his first trip on the Qth 
of January of that year. After acting in that capacity for a year and four 
months he was promoted to the position of conductor, in Mav, 1883, and 
served on a through freight for three years, when he was made the first con- 
ductor on a working train 1 n the road. He filled that position for about three 
months and was then transferred to a local freight train on the Cornine di- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 639 

vision, running between Corning and Columbus. After six months he was 
transferred to a local freight train on the Bucyrus division and was on that line 
for about ten months. Later he was made passenger conductor, in which ca- 
pacity he has served to the present time, covering a period of fourteen years. 

On the 20th of April, 1882. Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss 
Margarite M. Link, a daughter of Adam and Mary Anna Link. Her father 
was a tailor by trade and was born in Baden. Germany, June 5, 1828. When a 
young man of twenty years he came to the United States and was here mar- 
ried to Miss Alary Anna Stundel. who was born March 19. 1828, in Bavaria, 
and came to the new world in 1847, landing at Baltimore. Mrs. Miller was 
born in Liverpool, Pennsylvania, July i~ . 1858, and became a resident of Bu- 
cyrus in 1865. Unto our subject and wife have been born two children: Will- 
iam Edward, whose birth occurred November 28, 1882, and Annie Kathrine, 
born October 17, 1884. Mr. Miller and his family are all members of the Cath- 
olic church, and he is identified with various fraternal and civic societies, in- 
cluding the Order of Railway Conductors, the Royal Arcanum, the Modern 
Woodmen of America and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His 
long service on the railroad indicates unmistakably his fidelity to duty and his 
ability in the discharge of the tasks which devolve upon him. He is most trust- 
worthy and painstaking and has won the friendship of many patrons of the 
1 iad. 

MICHAEL WIXKELFOOS. 

Michael Winkelfoos, who for many years has been connected with the 
railway service, resides in Bucyrus where he is a well known and highly es- 
teemed citizen. He was born in McKeesport, Allegheny county. Pennsyl- 
vania, on the 23d of October, 1852, and is a son of August Winkelfoos, who 
was born at Michelstadt in Hesse-Darmstadt. Germany, which was also the 
birthplace of his wife, who bore the maiden name of Barbara Reh. Both came 
to America prior to their marriage. In 1852 the father went to San Fran- 
cisco, California, where he spent his remaining days, passing away in 1873, 
at the age of forty-six years. His widow, who was born in 1833. is still liv- 
ing and now makes her home in Mansfield, Ohio. In the family are two chil- 
dren who yet survive, namely : Michael, of this review and Mrs. C. Stephen, 
a widow, who is living in Crestline. 

Mr. Michael Winkelfoos, whose name heads this record, pursued his edu- 
cation at Crestline, Crawford county and at Lima, attended the public schools 



640 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and on putting- aside his text-books he entered upon his business career in 1867, 
at the age of fifteen years, as an employe on the eastern division of the Pitts- 
burg, Fort Wayne & Chicago road. He at first ran between Crestline and 
Alliance. His duties were those of a fireman, but in 1872, at the age of nine- 
teen years, he was made an engineer. Very seldom is one so young appointed 
to such an important position. He continued with the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne 
and Chicago road until 1877, and for the past thirteen years he has been a 
passenger engineer on the Toledo & Ohio Central road. In 1880 he took up 
his alxide in Columbus, whence he removed to Bucvrus, where he is now per- 
manently located. During his long railroad experience he has met with sev- 
eral accidents. In 1895 he was in a head-end collision, in which the fireman, 
Frank Doty, was killed, while Mr. Winkelfoos was badly injured. He has 
also been in two other wrecks, where the engine turned over, in which he has 
suffered some injuries, and on one occasion his engine became ditched in a tun- 
nel. He is, however, most careful in his work, reliable and trustworthy and 
has the entire confidence of the companv. 

In 1874 Air. Winklefoos married Miss Caroline Ludwig, a daughter of 
Frederick and Elizabeth ( Mager) Ludwig. Her father went to Crestline in 
1842 and has there made his home ever since. He was born at Nedemdow in 
Hesse-Darmstadt, and for fifty years was employed by the Pennsylvania 
Railroad Company, but for the past seventeen years he has lived retired, mak- 
ing his home in Crestline. His birth occurred January 9, 1825, and he is 
therefore now seventy-six years of age. Plis wife, who was also a native of 
Germany, was born August 19, 1828, and died January 28, 1900. Two of 
their daughters are yet living, namely : Mrs. Winkelfoos and Mrs. J. W. 
Smith, the latter a resident of Crestline. The marriage of our subject and his 
wife has been blessed with the following children: Fred, who is now em- 
ployed as fireman on the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad ; Gustave, who died 
at the age of six years ; Bartholomew, who was killed on the Pennsylvania 
road, at the age of twelve years; Delbert. who is employed by the Toledo & 
Ohio Central Railroad Company and makes his home with his parents; and 
Emma, who is now in school. 

Mr. Y\ "inkelfoos is a prominent and exemplary Mason and holds member- 
ship in the blue lodge, chapter and council. Both he and his wife are also 
members of the Order of the Eastern Star, in which Mrs. Winkelfoos is now 
serving as warden. He is also a member of the Royal Arcanum and of the 
Deutsche Gesellschaft. In politics he is independent, preferring to support 
the men whom he thinks best qualified for the office, regardless of party affilia- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 641 

tions. Both he and his wife are active members of the German Lutheran 
church and are people held in highest esteem because of their many excellent 
qualities. They are earnest and efficient workers in church and lodge and 
wherever known have won the regard and friendship of many with whom 
they have been brought in contact. 

CHARLES EDLER. 

Crawford county, Ohio, has reason to congratulate itself upon having- 
within its borders many leading citizens of German birth and extraction. 
Prominent among these is Charles Edler, of Jefferson township, who was born 
in Baden, Germany, June 24, 1830, a son of [Martin and Margaret (Shriek) 
Edler, of whose twelve children only three survive — the subject of this sketch, 
his brother George and sister Elizabeth, both of whom remain in the 
fatherland. 

Charles Edler was brought up on his father's farm in Germany and came 
to America in 1852, landing in New York after a voyage which consumed 
twenty-seven days. He went to Ohio and making his headquarters at Galion 
worked out as a farm hand four years. In 1856 he married Margaret Beach, 
a native of Crawford county, Ohio, and about that time he bought a small 
piece of land in Whetstone township, Crawford county, on which he began 
farming on his own account. He remained there until 1862, when he bought 
eighty acres of land across the county line in [Marion county, where he lived 
ten years, meanwhile adding forty acres to his original purchase. In 1872 he 
sold his farm in [Marion county, and removed to his present farm of one hun- 
dred and twenty acres in Jefferson township, Crawford count} - , Ohio. He 
has adhered closely to general farming and stock-raising and has made a 
notable business success. He is a stanch Republican in politics, devoted to the 
traditions and principles of his party and has always been influential in pub- 
lic affairs, but though he has helped friends to important offices he has never 
sought any official position for himself, and as a farmer has been too busy to 
give much attention to practical politics. He is a broad-minded man of much 
general information who has read a good deal and has traveled extensively. 
In 1900 he visited three months in Germany, and the Paris Exposition, and in 
1901 he and his wife attended the Pan-American exposition at Buffalo, New 
York. 

Charles and [Margaret (Beach) Edler have had ten children, eight of 
whom survive. Their daugfiter Emma married William Richer and lives at 



642 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Bucyrus, Ohio. Their daughter Alan- married Samuel Eichhorn, of Galion. 
Their daughter Catharine became the wife of Levi Smith and lives at Galion. 
Their daughters Amanda and Margaret are members of their household. 
Their daughter Etta married Elmer Smith and also lives at Galion. Their son 
George is a resident of the same city. Their son Carl manages his father's 
farm and takes a prominent part in many township and county affairs. 

JEROME BLAND, M. D. 

I here is no other profession in which greater responsibility rests than is 
peculiar to the medical profession. Upon the skill and fidelity of the physician 
depends life and death in great measure. No other professional man has 
greater opportunity to gain the confidence and esteem of his fellow man than 
has the physician. The public mind, nevertheless, is sharp and piercing in 
criticism; the sick, too, are susceptible to change of sentiment, easily dis- 
couraged, quick to make changes of mind, so that after all the physician has 
not only to battle with disease but also with ever-changing temper of mind 
and heart so manifest in mankind. And that physician who succeeds in the 
art of healing and establishes and long holds for himself high rank in his 
profession and in the esteem and confidence of his patients and fellow men 
deserves no little praise from the pen of the biographer. 

Among skillful, successful and esteemed physicians of Ohio the subject 
of this sketch holds a conspicuous place. He was an Ohio farmer's son, and 
made school teaching a stepping-stone into the profession of medicine; began 
his professional career a poor man, and not under the most promising circum- 
stances, but more than thirty years mark the span of a successful professional 
career lor him, and yet he is still active and promising of no limited years of 
usefulness in his profession. 

Dr; Bland is a native of Ohio, born on a farm in Muskingum county, 
July 22, 1840, and spent the first twenty-three years of his life 011 the farm, 
where he was schooled in arduous labors of farm life, learning- most useful 
lessons of industry and perseverance that have characterized his life. His 
parents were Ebenezer and Harriet (Lane) Bland, and of their ten children, 
three daughters and seven sons, the Doctor was the eldest. The father was 
a native of Virginia, while the mother's native state was Maryland. John 
Bland, the paternal grandfather of our subject, came from Virginia to Ohio 
as early as 1798, and settled in Muskingum county. The land which he ob- 
tained by patent from the general government is still in possession of his do- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 645 

scendants, which are numerous in Muskingum county. From sturdy an- 
cestors our subject is descended, and his father and mother were possessed of 
many sterling qualities. 

At the age of nineteen years Dr. Bland began teaching in the country 
schools of his native county, and, in all, he taught nine winter terms. In 
1862 he became a student in Denison College at Granville, Ohio, where he 
remained till 1864, after which date he taught several terms of school. 

Disposition of mind, that of a student, led him into preparation for pro- 
fessional life. Deciding upon the profession of medicine, he began, in 1864, 
the study of medicine, under the preceptorship of Dr. Joseph McCann, an old 
and successful practitioner of Irville, Ohio. Later he attended one term of 
lectures in the Starling Medical College, of Columbus, this state. He then 
began the practice of medicine at Hanover, also in this state, where he re- 
mained two years, and then returned to the Starling Medical College, where 
he graduated in 1869. He then came to Crawford county and located at 
Benton, now Poplar, where he continued in a most active and lucrative prac- 
tice for fourteen years. During this time so large was his practice that he 
was "on the go" almost night and day. Xo other physician of the county 
ever had larger, if as large, a country practice as had Dr. Bland while he was 
located at Benton, from which place he came to Bucyrus in 1883, since when 
he has been numbered among the most active and successful physicians and 
surgeons of Bucyrus, enjoying a very large and lucrative practice. He is a 
member of the Northwestern Ohio Medical Society, of the Ohio State Medi- 
cal Society and of the American Medical Association. 

In politics the Doctor is a Democrat. He has served five years as county 
coroner and was a member of the pension board of examiners for four years 
under the second administration of Graver Cleveland. He also' is a member of 
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and of the Masonic order, being 
a Knight Templar and also a "Shriner," holding membership in Alkoran 
Temple, at Cleveland. 

He has considerable business interests, being the proprietor of the 
Knisely Springs stock farm, owning and breeding high-bred horses, his stock 
farm being noted for its high-class horses. On his farm are also most valu- 
able mineral springs, the water from which constitute the product for the 
Knisely Mineral Springs Bottling Works. 

In the mention of the Doctor's family history there is a peculiar item to 
record. He had two brothers, Charles and John Bland, who studied medicine 
under him, and both entered medical college and died of consumption during 



646 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the last year of their studies in college, and both at the age of twenty-eight,, 
though their deaths occurred some eight years apart ; and while a third 
brother died of consumption, his other brothers and himself are large and 
robust men. 

In 1867 Dr. Bland married Lucy Coon, and they have had a son and two 
daughters. The son, whose name was Ebbie, died while in Cuba during the 
Spanish-American war, and his remains were brought back to this country 
and interred in Arlington cemetery, near Washington, D. C. He was a mem- 
ber of Company A, a company of Bucyrus soldiers. The daughters are Hattie, 
now Airs. A. J. Yawger, of Bucyrus; and Alice, now in school. 

Dr. Bland is in every sense of that over-used term a self-made man. 
Many have been his life struggles, but steadily he has worked his way up in 
his profession and business affairs. His success in life has been largely due to 
his fortitude of character, stern resolution and fidelity of purpose. Pleasant 
and agreeable in manner toward his fellow men, his friends are man}' and 
his name respected. 

ELMER DEAX ROBISOX. 

An enterprising young farmer of Cranberry township, Elmer Dean Rob- 
ison, was born at the family homestead, where he now resides, October 22, 
1866, and is one of a family of six children whose parents were Robert and 
Esther (Robison) Robison. Only three of the children, however, survive, the 
eldest being Margaret J., wife of Isaac Helem, of Chicago' Junction, Ohio,, 
while the youngest is William L., a resident farmer of Cranberry township. 
The father was twice married, his first union being with Alary A. Robison, a. 
daughter of William Robison, who was one of three brothers and a brother 
of the grandfather of our subject. There were three children by this marriage,, 
but all are now deceased. 

Many of the leading citizens of Ohio have come to this state from Pennsyl- 
vania, and among the number was the father of our subject, who was born in 
Perry county, of the Keystone state, on the 10th of October, 1825. His par- 
ents were John and Jennie (Baxter) Robison, who were also natives of that 
county and the former was of Scotch-Irish extraction, while the latter was of 
Scotch parentage. In 1867, when their son Robert was only twelve years of 
age, they traveled by wagon to Ohio, bringing with them their household ef- 
fects. The journey led them through dense forests and across unbridged. 
streams, and with the pioneer settlers of this portion of the Buckeye state they 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 647 

cast in their lot. Having arrived in Crawford county, the grandfather purchased 
a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Cranberry township, now owned by 
Adam Eckstein. He was a blacksmith by trade, and after locating here erected 
a shop on his farm, conducting business along that line for a number of years. 
In early life Robert Robison worked in the smithy with his father and in this. 
way mastered the business, becoming quite an expert at the forge. When twen- 
ty years of age he opened a shop of his own in Waynesburg, and during the 
succeeding three years worked almost day and night in order to- gain a start 
in business life. He received good pay for his labor, and on the completion of 
that period he had received three thousand dollars. This he invested in a farm 
of eighty acres, where his son, William L., now resides. It was then almost 
entirely forest land, and in the midst of the green woods he erected a log house, 
as well as a shop, giving his attention to blacksmithing. He hired some one 
to clear his land and devlop the fields. Some time later he developed forty 
acres adjoining his farm, thus extending its boundaries until it comprised one 
hundred and twenty acres. He continued work in the smithy until 1867, when 
he purchased of Casper Eberly a tract of land of forty acres, on which he 
erected a residence, and then moved to the farm which is now the home of his 
son Elmer. 

He then abandoned blacksmithing, except as he occasionally did a little 
work in that way as an accommodation for some friend or neighbor. In 1876 
he purchased thirty acres of land lying just north of the home farm and in 
1880 bought fifty acres of the Cory heirs, lying just across the road from his 
residence. This is now the property of our subject. His landed possessions 
after these purchases aggregated two hundred and forty acres, and he also 
owned a town residence, surrounded by eleven acres, in New Washington.. 
After a useful, honorable and active career he was called to 1 his final rest March 
16, 1900. During the last eight years of his life he was blind, but he bore the 
affliction with Christian fortitude. He held membership in the Presbyterian 
church and was a stanch Democrat in politics, but would never accept office, 
preferring to devote his energies to> his business affairs, which demanded all of 
his attention and which brought to him a good financial return for his labor. 
He possessed an iron constitution, indomitable will and unflagging energy, 
and his life is in many respects well worthy oi emolution. His wife was born 
in Perry county, Pennsylvania, May 25, 1832, and was a daughter of George' 
Robison, a native of Perry county, Pennsylvania, and of Scotch-Irish extrac- 
tion, as was also> her mother. The paternal and maternal grandfathers of our 
subject were own cousins. George Robison, the maternal grandfather, was 



•648 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

an officer in the war of 1812, and after the close of hostilities was recognized 
as a leader in military matters for many years. By trade he was a cooper and 
he acquired considerable land, thus becoming in comfortable circumstances. 
He and his wife both spent their lives in Perry county, Pennsylvania, and their 
daughter, Mrs. Esther Robison, passed away in Crawford county, January 5, 
1900. 

Elmer Dean Robison, whose name forms the caption of this article, was 
given the educational privileges afforded by the common and high schools of 
New Washington, completing the course with the first graduating class, in 
1883. The same fall he entered Oberlin College, where he completed the work 
of the junior year. His health then failed him and he was compelled to dis- 
continue his studies, which was a great blow to him, for he possessed literary 
tastes and wished to prepare for a profession or for some literary work. Leav- 
ing college, he returned home, and after a few months spent in recuperating 
he became a student in the Davis Business College of Toledo, where he was 
graduated in the fall of 1887. During the succeeding winter and summer he 
remained at home, his health being greatly benefitted thereby. He assisted 
in the work of the farm to some extent, and in the fall of 1888 he began teach- 
ing, which profession he followed through the winter months, while in the sum- 
mers he aided in the labors of the field and meadow. 

However, when the spring of 1890 came he found that the confinement 
of the school-room had again undermined his health and he went to Colorado, 
where during the following six months he improved rapidly. He extended his 
trip into Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California, Wyoming and Nevada, and 
in November, 1890. returned to his home. The following year his father lost 
the sight of one eye through an accident. In January, 1892, Mr. Robison, of 
this sketch, took a trip through the south to Jacksonville, Florida, in order to 
recover from the effects of the grip, and spent two months in that sunny clime, 
after which he made his way northward to Atlanta, Georgia, where he accepted 
a position with the Southern Bell Telephone Company, acting as secretary to 
the superintendent. He served in that capacity until, in a traction accident on 
a Sunday excursion on the Chattanooga river, he had his legs almost cut off. 
For six weeks he was forced to remain in bed. He then returned home to rest 
and recuperate, and soon after his arrival his father entirely lost the sight of 
both eyes. 

At the earnest solicitation of his parents Mr. Robison decided to remain 
at home, where he has since continued, caring for his father and managing 
the farm. He is a most energetic and resolute young man, of strong purpose 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 649 

and marked ability, and his business management has brought to the farm good 
success. He votes with the Democracy and socially is identified with Hyperion 
Lodge, No. 651, K. P., in which he has helled all of the chairs and is now 
•serving as keeper of the records and seals and master of finance. His life has 
been upright and honorable, energetic and diligent, and throughout the com- 
munity he has a large circle of friends. 

JEREMIAH J. HOPPEL. 

Jeremiah J. Hoppel is justly regarded by the citizens of Liberty town- 
ship as one of their leading and representative men. He is a thorough farmer, 
a reliable township official and is thoroughly respected by his neighbors and 
those who know him best in private life. The birth of Mr. Hoppel was in 
Northampton county, Pennsylvania, on December 5, 1847, a son ot " Reuben 
and Christina (Deal) Hoppel, and is one of the surviving children of a family 
of four, his sister being Emma E.. the wife of A. B. Charlton. The two de- 
ceased sisters were Anna, the wife of John Davidson; and Effia, the wife of 
Joseph Kinsley. 

Reuben Hoppel was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, of 
French ancestry, on August 18, 1818. At the age of fourteen years, he with his 
brothers. Charles and Adam, lost the parental care of their father, and were 
thrown upon their own resources. Reuben worked for neighboring farmers 
and grew up industrious and respected and married Christina Deal in his 
twenty-third year, her death occurring in 1862. After marriage he bought 
a farm, in the timber land and settled down to the laborous task of clearing- 
it and putting it under cultivation. By 1858 he had succeeded in clearing it 
and had erected substantial buildings, but his brother Charles had gone to 
Indiana and prospered and Reuben decided to also go as far west as Ohio. He 
had inherited several thousand dollars from his granfather Kester, who owned 
extensive chestnut timber lands in Northampton county which sold for a 
fortune, after his death, and this money Reuben Lloppel brought with him to 
Ohio, buying with it one hundred and eighteen acres of land in section 6, 
Liberty township. This farm was later known as the model farm and passed 
into the possession of the Klunk family, by which it is still owned. After a 
residence of some six years upon it, Mr. Hoppel sold it and bought of Jacob 
Thomas, three hundred and twenty acres adjoining his former farm, on the 
south and here resided until 1896, having made it one of the best im- 
proved farms in the county. Here he built a handsome brick residence, in 



650 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

1885. In 1896 he sold the farm, which then contained two hundred and forty 
acres, and removed to Holmes township, where he purchased a small home 
farm of sixty acres, located one mile north of Bucyrus and there he had his 
residence for three years, his death occurring on February 2j, 1899, in his 
eighty-first year. He had married, after the death of his first wife, Mrs. 
Mary Deagle, formerly a Miss McMichael, and three children were born to 
this union, viz: Ida, the wife of William Dinninger, of Holmes township; 
Reuben, of Plymouth, Indiana; and Ada, the wife of Charles Winner, with her 
mother, in Holmes township. The mother of our subject was born in North- 
ampton county, Pennsylvania, about 1820, a daughter of Frederick anl Eva 
Teel, also of that county, where her father lived. He died in 1848, from 
•dropsy. Eva Teel, his wife, died at the same place in 1852. In politics Mr. 
Hoppel supported the Democratic party, for several years was one of the 
trustees of Liberty township and a man much respected. He was a con- 
sistent member of the Reformed church. 

Farm life has produced the greater number of the solid and responsible 
men of the country. In the homely duties on his father's estate, young Jere- 
miah Hoppel passed from childhood to youth and manhood, receiving the best 
available schooling in the locality. His marriage on February 5, 1873, was to 
Miss Martha Schieber, a native of this township, a daughter of Christopher 
and Lydia (Hirschberger) Schieber, the former of whom was a native of Ger- 
many, the latter of Pennsylvania. Following this event, our subject became 
the owner of eighty acres of land from his father, bravely and happily began 
domestic life in one of the old pioneer log cabins, and in three years time was 
able to erect an attractive and comfortable residence and in 1883 completed 
one of the best barns of this neighborhood. In 1894 our subject sold this 
farm and purchased the old Michael Charlton farm, consisting of one hun- 
dred and sixty acres, in 1900 adding eighty-three acres adjoining, and now 
is the owner of two hundred and forty-three acres of as excellent land as can 
be found in the state of Ohio. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hoppel have four children : Myrtle, the wife of Ralph 
McCalman, of Danville, Illinois; Otis Milton, at home; Elger James, attend- 
ing Heidelberg College; and Helen, at home. Mr. Hoppel's political sympa- 
thies place him in the Democratic party, and in 1900 he was elected trustee of 
the township, and is serving with the greatest satisfaction to the public. Several 
years he served on the school board and is a trustee of the library board of 
Sulphur Springs. His early rearing was in the Methodist church, but his 
family are connected with the Lutheran church, and to this denomination he 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 651 

gives support. He has always taken a great interest in his home surroundings 
and has lately added very much to its attractiveness by the rebuilding of his 
commodious modern barn. His success has been attained by the exercise of 
honesty, energy and industry. 

ROBERT W. JOHNSTON. 

Robert W. Johnston was born in Green township, Ashland county, Ohio. 
His father, Thomas Johnston, was born at Frederick City, Maryland, Septem- 
ber 12, 1809, his parents, John and Christina (Johnston) Johnston, having 
emigrated from county Fermanagh, Ireland, about the year 1808. When 
eighteen years of age Thomas Johnston became a resident of that part of Rich- 
land county, Ohio, which subsequently became a part of Ashland county, 
where he resided continuously until his death, April 18, 1871. When but a 
little past his majority he became a wagoner, and for a number of years fol- 
lowed the occupation of conveying, by wagons drawn by six-horse teams, mer- 
chandise from Philadelphia, Baltimore and Pittsburg for the merchants in 
Richland and adjoining counties, and hauling the produce of the then new 
country to eastern markets. The advent of the railroads did away with this oc- 
cupation, and his life was then wholly devoted to farming and stock-raising, 
in which he took special interest, being among the first to introduce Durham 
or short-horn cattle into Ashland county from the Blue Grass region of Ken- 
tucky. He married, in 1833, Sarah Ann Workman, who was born at Gettys- 
burg, Pennsylvania, September 16, 1813, and was brought by her parents, 
Joseph and Lydia (Shields) Workman, to Vermilion township, Richland, now 
Ashland, count}- in 1815. She died at Gallon, January 27, 1893. Joseph 
Workman was born in couny Monaghan, Ireland, March 12, 1786, and came 
to America with his parents in 1793. His father, Benjamin Workman, was 
educated for the ministry in the Covenanter church, but instead of carrying 
out his original plans devoted his life to teaching, following that occupation 
until he reached the age of seventy-five years. Joseph Workman was a sol- 
dier in the war of 1812, being a member of a Pennsylvania regiment, and two 
of his uncles, James and Hugh Workman, served with Colonel Crawford in 
the disastrous campaign against Sandusky. .He was one of the earlv justices 
of the peace in Vermilion township, have filled that office in 1817-18, and 
and was a member of the first Ohio state board of agriculture. 

Robert W. Johnston spent his youth on the farm in Ashland county, at- 
tending the public schools, Vermilion Institute at Hayesville, and Green Town 



652 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Academy at Perrysville. In 1876, having decided to engage in the study of 
law, he entered the law office of Henry C. Carhart, at Galion, and graduated at 
the Cincinnati Law School in the class of 1879. In the same year he was ad- 
mitted to the bar and immediately formed a partnership with his preceptor, 
Mr. Carhart, and has practiced his profession continuously at Galion. Mr. 
Johnston has taken an active interest in all things pertaining to the welfare of 
the city of Galion, and has been concerned in the promotion of various enter- 
prises which have contributed to its progress. Politicallv he has always been 
a Republican, and is a strong adherent of the principles of the party, and al- 
though Galion is strongly Democratic he has served both as mayor and city 
solicitor, having been elected to the former office in 1S83 and to the latter in 
1893. 

JOHN W. FRENCH. 

John W. French owes his success in life to his, own efforts and has gained 
the only title which America confers upon her citizens, that of a self-made 
man. He was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, November 8, 1832, his par- 
ents being Samuel and Rebecca (Welch) French. The father was a native 
of Pennsylvania, born about 1800, and was a son of Irish parentage. His 
mother died during his early childhood and he was then reared by his maternal 
grandfather, William McLaughlin, who came to Ohio about the time of the 
mother's death, settling in Columbiana county, where he took advantage of the 
offer made by the government to the settlers who could claim land and would 
develop farms. He built a log cabin and made a home for his large family 
numbering ten children, seven sons and three daughters. Several sons were 
veterans of the war of 181 2. Samuel was a captain in the service and Robert 
loyally aided in the defense of his country, died while on his way home and 
was buried in the f< >rest of Seneca county, but his grave was unmarked and 
therefore could never be visited by the family. 

The father of our subject was reared in the pioneer home amid the wild 
scenes of frontier life and early became familiar with the arduous task of 
clearing and cultivating the fields. In 1844. after his marriage, he removed 
with his family to Wood county, where he leased a tract of forest land, built 
a log cabin home and in the succeeding four years cleared about forty acres, 
deriving considerable income from the sale of the wood as well as from his 
farming operations. In 1848 he came to Crawford county, settling in Lykens 
township, where he followed agricultural pursuits until 1859, when he re- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 653 

moved to Huron county, where his death occurred two years later. He was a 
consistent member of the Presbyterian church and the Democracy received his 
political support. In early manhood he married Miss Rebecca Welch, who 
was born in Virginia about 1808 and a daughter of James and Esther (Ada) 
Welch, both of whom were of Irish extraction. They went to Columbiana 
county, Ohio, early in the nineteenth century and there the maternal grand- 
father of our subject built the first double log house ever erected on the site 
of Wellsville. For many years he conducted a tavern there, entertaining the 
pioneer settlers. Both he and his wife died in that county. For over a half 
century he was a ruling elder of the Presbyterian church. He was the only 
member of the family to remove to' the eastern part of the state, becoming 
actively connected with its upbuilding and promotion. His father was the 
first white settler to locate in Seneca count}-. Ohio, south of the Sandusky 
river, his nearest neighbor at the time being twenty-three miles distant. One 
of his sons. John Welch, served as a representative in the state legislature and 
another son, Hugh, was judge of the county court, while Martin was a 
Methodist minister. These sons had lint meager educational privileges, being 
self-made men and exercised a strong influence for good in the community 
where they resided. Albert G. Welch, a brother of Airs. French, and an uncle, 
of our subject, could not write his own name when he left home, but the am- 
bition, determination and energy so characteristic of the family enabled him to 
advance steadily in knowledge and prominence. Later he became a state 
senator, was also sheriff of Columbiana count}'. Ohio, and subsequently was 
deputy warden of the Ohio State Penintentiary. Mrs. French was a lad}' of 
sterling worth and ability and proved to her husband a faithful companion 
and helpmeet on the journey of life. Her death occurred in the year 1875. 
She was the mother of ten children, but only four are now living, namely: 
John W-. Joseph, who resides in Kansas City, Missouri; Elizabeth, widow of 
.Martin Corbet, of Chicago; and Esther, the widow of Levi Leonard, of 
Huron county, Ohio. 

John W. French was reared to rural life and the work of the fields on the 
home farm. Flis school privileges were very limited, his only text-books being 
the testament and a spelling book, but through broad reading, supplemented by 
a retentive memory he has become a well informed man and continually in- 
creases his knowledge by keeping in touch with the advanced thought and 
progress of the day. At the age of twenty years he left his parents' home 
and removed to Putnam county, where he worked in a sawmill. After three 
years he returned to Crawford county, and as he possessed considerable natural 

36 



654 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

mechanical ingenuity he began working at the carpenter's trade in Lykens 
township. During the succeeding four years, in connection with Comfort 
Waller, he erected many houses and barns in the township, and thus largely 
promoted its improvement. In 1856 he went to Tiffin, where he entered the 
employ of contractor and builder. Scudder Chamberlain, with whom he re- 
mained for four years, when, in 1861, he returned to Lykens township. 

On the 24th of February of that year occurred one of the most import- 
ant events of his life, — his marriage to Miss Elizabeth Jane Perky, a native of 
Seneca county. Ohio, and a daughter of David and Mary (Seitz) Perky. 
Her father was a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and her 
mother of Fairfield county, Ohio, and during their childhood they went with 
their respective parents to Seneca county, this state. After their marriage Mr. 
and Mrs. French located in Lykens township, where he continued working at 
his trade until the nth of May, 1864, when he enlisted at the call for troops to 
serve one hundred days, joining Company E of the One Hundred and Thirty- 
sixth Ohio Infantry. The regiment was assigned to the Army of the 
Potomac and was stationed at Fort Worth, Virginia. In September of the 
same year Mr. French was mustered out and returned to his home. In the 
fall of 1866 he removed to Huron county and purchased fifty-three acres of 
land and continued carpentering, renting his farm. In the spring of 1873 he 
sold that property and came to Cranberry township, Crawford county, where 
he has since resided. Upon his arrival here he purchased seventy acres of 
land and, abandoning his trade, he has since given his attention to agricultural 
pursuits. After some years he added forty-one acres to his farm, so that the 
home place now comprises one hundred and eleven acres. 

Mr. and Airs. French became the parents of four children, of whom two 
are vet living, namely: Sherman L., a farmer of Cranberry township, and 
David P., who is operating the home farm. Imogene and Martin, the eldes: 
and youngest of the family, are now deceased. The parents hold membership 
in the Methodist Episcopal church. Air. French is a Democrat in his political 
faith. He is an example of the boys who educate themselves and secure then- 
own start in life, — determined, self-reliant boys, willing to work for advan- 
tages which others secure through inheritance, destined by sheer force of char- 
acter to succeed in the face of all opposition and to push to the front in one 
important branch of enterprise or another. As a man his business ability has 
been constantly manifested in one phase or another and he has gained an ex- 
cellent success, a just reward for his meritorious and honorable effort, which 
commands the respect and admiration of all. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 655 

ALBERT S. NYE. 

Albert Sheridan Nye. one of the enterprising" agriculturists of Cranberry 
township, was born July 30, 1867, in the township which is still his home, 
his parents being Jonathan and Lovina (Immel) Nye. The father was also 
a native of the Buckeye state, for he was burn in Medina county. March 2, 
1823, his parents being Jonathan and Sabrina (Briggs) Nye. The grand- 
father of our subject was born in Massachusetts, in 1770, and his father bore 
the name of Jonathan Nye and was a well-known resident of the Bay state. 
He was also- a son of a Jonathan Nye, who engaged in whale fishing, following 
that hazardous occupation for many years. 

The grandfather of our subject was reared in his parents' home and the 
common schools afforded him his educational privileges. After his marriage 
he turned his attention to i farming, which he followed for a number of years, 
and subsequently he lemoved to- New York, where his wife died. He was 
afterward married again, his second union being with the grandmother of our 
subject. By the first marriage there were seven children, but all are now de- 
ceased. Soon after his second marriage the grandfather came to> Ohio, lo- 
cating in Medina count}', where he entered one hundred and sixty acres of 
forest land, where he erected a log cabin. Through the following* years he 
performed the arduous task of clearing away the trees and plowing and plant- 
ing the fields, operating his farm until 1825, when he sold that property and 
came to Crawford county. Here he entered one hundred and sixty acres in 
the mids of the forest, near what is now North Robinson, and built a log cabin, 
into which the family removed. He cleared eighty acres of his land and gave 
the remaining" eighty acres to two of his sons. Upon this farm the grand- 
father died in 1840, his wife surviving until 1853. Upon her death the farm 
passed into possession of Jonathan Nye and his brother Lorenzo. In 1857 
they sold this property and the father of our subject came to Cranberry town- 
ship, where he purchased his present home, comprising a tract of eighty acres, 
while Lorenzo- Nye bought ninety-five and a fraction acres just across the 
road from his brother. 

Here they continued their farming work, and as Lorenzo Nye was mar- 
ried, Jonathan boarded with him until his own marriage, which occurred on 
the 2 1 st of April, 1861, to Miss Lovina Immel, a native of Cranberry township. 
She was born on the farm adjoining" that which belongs to her husband and was 
a daughter of Philip Immel, one of the early pioneers of the township, who 
emigrated to- Ohio from Pennsylvania, his native state. His parents were of 



656 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Pennsylvania Dutch lineage. After his marriage Mr. Immel started with his 
bride for Ohio, making the journey by wagon, and on his arrival in Crawford 
county he entered eighty acres of land in Cranberry township, the deed being 
signed by Andrew Jackson, then president of the United States. He at once 
built a log house, and blankets were hung at the openings to serve as doors. 
In true pioneer style he began the development and cultivation of his land and 
throughout his active business career carried on farming with good success, 
maintaining his residence upon the old homestead until his death, which oc- 
curred in 1885. 

After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Nye they began their 
domestic life in an old log cabin on his farm. The building was in a dilapi- 
dated condition and the wind whistled through the structure and the rain and 
snow was blown through the apertures. In severe weather it was almost im- 
possible to keep the room at a temperature to save them from freezing. During 
the five years in which they were paying for their farm they endured many 
hardships, but at length the indebtedness was discharged and their financial 
resources were increased so that they were able to erect a more commodious 
residence, and in 1866 the present home was built. Their marriage was 
blessed with six children, of whom three are now living: William Sherman, a 
resident farmer of Auburn township; Albert Sheridan, of this review; and 
Eli Liberty, at home. In his political affiliations Mr. Nye is a Republican, 
and in ante-bellum days was a strong Abolitionist. His religious views are in 
harmony with the Methodist doctrine, although he is not a member of the 
church, and throughout his whole life he has so lived as to win the confidence 
and regard of all with whom he has been brought in contact. 

Albert Sheridan Nye became familiar with farm work upon the old home- 
stead. His elementary education was acquired in the common schools and 
was supplemented by study in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware. 
Jn the fall of 1888 he left that institution and returned home, working through 
the following summer in the fields. He also became extensively engaged in 
the breeding of fine poultry and now carries on business along that line. In 
the fall of 1889 lie began teaching, and at intervals has thus been connected 
with educational work through five school terms. 

On the 17th of May, 1893, Mr. Nye was united in marriage to ?% T i > s Anna 
Springer, a native of Ottawa count}' and a daughter of M. M. Springer. The 
young couple located upon their present farm, which comprises fifty acres, a 
mile and a half east of New Washington, and which Mr. Nye had purchased 
the year previous. Here he has since engaged in agricultural pursuits 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 657 

and in the raising of fine poultry, and both branches of his business prove a 
profitable source of income. When he was only eight years of age he was the 
owner of a number of thoroughbred fowls, and in his early youth he de- 
veloped a fondness for the business which he now carries on and in which he 
has met with excellent success. His poultry has been displayed at various fairs 
and poultry shows among those sent by leading breeders of fancy poultry 
throughout the country, and he has won many premiums. In his farming- 
work he is energetic, and the well-tilled fields indicate his careful supervision 
and bring to him a handsome financial return. 

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Nye has been blessed with three children: 
Charles A., Ettie L. and Hobart J. Mrs. Nye is a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, and to its support Mr. Nye is a liberal contributor. In fact, 
he gives his aid to all measures calculated to prove of public benefit. He is a 
member of Hyperion Lodge, No. 651, K. P., which he joined on its organi- 
zation, and politically he is identified with the Republican party, being an un- 
swerving advocate of its principles. In 1900 he was appointed census enum- 
erator of his township, and for the past three years has been president of the 
school board, and has also served as a member of the election board for many 
years. At different times he has been the nominee on his ticket for the office 
of township trustee, justice of the peace and assessor. In his political service 
he has discharged his duties with marked prominence and fidelity, and in all 
life's relations he has won the confidence and good will of those with whom 
he has been associated. He is known as a reliable, progressive and wide- 
awake business man, being accounted one of the leading representatives among 
the younger men now engaged in agricultural pursuits in his native county. 

LOUIS C. MARTI X. 

The career of the gentleman whose name is mentioned above is one the 
active years of which have been devoted to the welfare of mankind and the in- 
fluence of which is good and far-reaching. The Rev. Louis C. Martin, pastor 
of the German Reformed church of Galion, Ohio, was born in Lanesville, In- 
diana, in 1863. His parents were natives of Germany and his father is a min- 
ister of the gospel and of the church which his son has so well represented. 

Mr. Martin's childhood was spent at Terre Haute, Indiana, and there he 
attended the public school and prepared to enter the theological seminary of 
his church at Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Afer a complete course at the institution 
just referred to, he was, in 1883, graduated from Heidelberg- college at Tiffin, 



658 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Ohio, with the honors of his class. Immediately after his graduation Mr. Mar- 
tin entered upon the mission work of his church at Boone City, Iowa, where 
he achieved a phenomenal success. From Boone City he went to Chilton, Wis- 
consin, and, after two years' successful work there, he was given charge of the 
large congregation at Huntington, Indiana. From Huntington he removed 
to Waukegan, Illinois, where he had charge of a congregation of his church. 

Following his arduous work at the stations mentioned, he was afflicted 
with nervous prostration and for a year rested at Galion, Ohio. During this 
time he had charge of a mission in Dayton, Ohio, where in eleven weeks he 
had laid the foundation and plans ready for a chapel. After that he became 
pastor of the church of his denomination at Ironton, Ohio, where he originated 
and established the Protestant Deaconess hospital. His successful manage- 
ment of that institution brought him many congratulatory communications- 
from those in charge of other charitable homes and led to the reorganization of 
some institutions along lines which he had made successful and popular. When 
he severed his relations with the church and the Deaconess Hospital at Iron- 
ton he returned to Galion, where he was called by family considerations and 
where he has since lived. He is at this time pastor of the Windfall congrega- 
tion of the Peace Reformed church, just over the line in Morrow county. 

Mr. Martin married, September 20, 1887, Miss Sarah Zimmerman, a 
daughter of John S. Zimmerman, one of the prominent citizens of Galion, and 
they have three children, named Carl. Amelia and Miriam. 

JACOB UHL. 

Jacob Uhl, an honored veteran of the Civil war, now engaged in farming 
in Cranberry township, where he owns and operates a farm of one hundred 
acres, was born in Offenbauch, Bavaria, Germany. January 25, 1833. His 
father, Benedict Uhl, was a native of the same country, born in 1797, and 
there he learned the wheelwright's trade. In early manhood he married Miss 
Anna Mary Mesmer, also a native of Bavaria, and they became the parents of 
six children, three daughters, deceased, and three sons, who are yet living: 
Benedict, who makes his home in Toledo, Ohio; Jacob; and Daniel, who makes 
his home in Cranberry township. With his family the father came to the 
United States in the spring of 1836, embarking on an Italian sailing vessel at 
Havre, France. They landed in Xew York City after a voyage of forty-four 
days and by way of the Great Lakes came to Ohio. After spending a few days. 
in Huron, this state, they continued on their way to Plymouth, where the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 659 

mother and children remained while the father sought a location. He finally 
purchased forty acres of land in Cranberry township, one mile north of Xew 
Washington, a Mr. Elias Resell purchasing the other forty acres of the eighty- 
acre tract. For a short time the two families lived in the log house erected by 
a former settler. 

A few months later Benedict Uhl purchased two lots in Xew Washington 
and built a hewed-log house, which served as a residence and shop, and there 
he worked for two years at his trade, but the pioneer settlers had little money 
to pay for labor and therefore he left the town and returned to his farm, upon 
which he built a log cabin, which the family occupied until about 1850, when 
he erected a commodious frame house. After his return to the farm he began 
clearing and developing his land, and for twenty years, in connection with 
agricultural pursuits, he also followed his trade. He added a tract of fifty 
acres to his land and successfully carried on business along the two lines until 
his death, which occurred in 1863. He was a consistent member of the Catho- 
lic church, and in his political faith was a Democrat. 

The wild scenes of pioneer life surrounded Jacob Uhl in his youth. He 
saw the dense forests, the cabin homes and shared in the arduous task of sub- 
jugating the wild land in order to make it cultivable. His education was 
obtained after the primitive manner of the times in a frontier district, and after 
attaining his majority he began to earn his own livelihood by working as a 
farm hand in the neighborhood. A great change in his mode of life occurred, 
however, when in August, 1861, he responded to the call for troops and entered. 
the military service of his adopted country, becoming a member of Company 
C, Forty-ninth Ohio Infantry. The regiment was assigned to the Army of 
■the Cumberland and he participated in all of the engagements with his com- 
mand until the 27th of May, 1864, when he was shot through the neck in the 
battle near Dallas, Georgia. After being wounded he lay for a few days in the 
field hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, and was then sent to Cleveland, where 
he remained until the following January. Although he had not entirely re- 
covered, he then rejoined his regiment at the camp near Huntsville, Alabama, 
and in January, 1866, he was discharged at Columbus, Ohio, returning home 
with a creditable record for loyalty and bravery. 

In the following fall Mr. Uhl was united in marriage to Miss Margaret 
Nederlost, a native of Bohemia and a daughter of John Xederlost. who came 
to the United States about 1855, locating in Cranberry township, Crawford 
county. Mr. and Mrs. Uhl began their domestic life upon eighty acres of 
his present farm, which he had purchased while at home recovering from the 



660 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

wounds sustained in battle. Some years afterward he bought twenty acres 
adjoining on the south, making his farm a valuable tract of one hundred acres, 
now well improved and supplied with all modern accessories and conveniences. 
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Uhl has been blessed with six children, namely: 
Anna E., the wife of John R. Miller, a merchant of Xew Washington; George 
J., a farmer of Cranberry township; Michael B., who is engaged in the poultry 
business and the manufacture of chicken brooders in Cranberry township; 
Joseph, who is attending St. Mary's College in Dayton, Ohio ; Lawrence, who 
is operating his father's farm; and Mary, who is at home with her parents. 

In his political views Air. Uhl is a Republican and believes most firmly in 
the principles of the party. He is a zealous and devout member of the Catholic 
church and served for several years as a member of the church council. He 
has never sought political office, preferring to devote his time and attention to 
his business interests, in which he has met with creditable and gratifying 
success. 

JOHN BAUMGARTXER. 

One of the most prominent business men of Chatfield township is John 
Baumgartner, and, furthermore, he owes his success entirely to his own efforts. 
Starting nut in business life empty-handed, he has steadily worked his way 
upward and his business connections are now extensive and important. He 
belongs, too, to that class of representative American citizens who, while pro- 
moting their own success, also contribute to the general prosperitv, for the in- 
dustries with which he is associated are a means of livelihood to many men of 
the community, furnishing employment to a large force. 

Air. Baumgartner is a native of Columbus, Franklin county, Ohio, where 
his birth occurred on Christmas day of 1858. His parents, John G. and Chris- 
tina (Moll) Baumgartner, had four sons. His mother died when he was 
twelve years of age, and three years later he came to Chatfield township, Craw- 
ford county, living with Lewis Durr until he had attained the age of twenty 
years, when he began working for Air. Brose in a brickyard. He there re- 
mained as an employe for four years, and then purchased a half interest in 
the brick and tile yard, the business being carried on under the firm name of 
Brose & Baumgartner until 1893, when the present style of Baumgartner & 
Company was assumed. Our subject is the secretary and treasurer of the 
company, and the success of the enterprise is largely due to his enterprise and 
•careful, competent management. The annual sale of tile and brick amounts to 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 66 1 

about ten thousand dollars. In 1879 a sawmill was also added to the business 
and the lumber manufactured and sold also adds materially to the income which 
the firm enjoys. Mr. Baumgartner also owns a cider mill with a capacity of 
one hundred and fifty barrels of cider per day. He purchased the Chatfield 
mill and elevator in 1900, and not long afterward sold a one-fourth interest, 
retaining three-fourths, the style of the firm being the Chatfield Mill and Grain 
Company. The mill has a capacity of fifty barrels per day. Thus Mr. Baum- 
gartner has continually extended the field of his operations until to-day he is 
one of the leading business men of his township. 

In 1882 occurred the marriage of our subject and Miss Elizabeth Brose, 
and unto them have been born seven children: Susan S., Daniel F., William 
H., Manette F., John J., Armenia C. and Fredeline F. The family is well 
known in this locality and their circle of friends is almost co-extensive with 
the circle of their acquaintance. 

In his political affiliations Mr. Baumgartner is a Democrat, and for several 
years he served as president of the Chatfield township school board. He mani- 
fests a commendable interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of his town 
and county and co-operates in many movements for the general good. With- 
out pecuniary help and with no special advantages of any kind, he entered upon 
his business career, and by close application, untiring energy and strong reso- 
lution he has steadily advanced until he now occupies an enviable position on 
(the plane of affluence. Straightforward dealing has ever characterized his 
••transaction of business, and his strict regard for commercial ethics has won 
him the confidence, while his success has gained for him the admiration, of his 
fellow men. 

DAVID A. SCOTT. 

David A. Scott was born January 13, 1845, on tne farm where he yet 
resides, and represents one of the early pioneer families of Cranberry town- 
ship, for the Scotts came to this section of the state during an early period in 
its development and have ever been important factors in its upbuilding and sub- 
stantial growth. William Scott, the father of our subject, was born in Bucks 
county, Pennsylvania, in 1808. His father was killed in the war of 1812, and 
about 181 7 the grandmother of our subject died, leaving a family of eight 
children. William Scott was then but nine years of age. With his four 
brothers and three sisters he went to W r ayne county, Ohio, where they found 
homes with relatives, and in that localitv William Scott was reared, learning 



662 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the trade of a cabinet-maker in his youth. In the spring of 1832 he came to 
Cranberry ownship, and from the government entered the south forty acres of 
the farm now owned by his son David. The forest trees stood in their 
primeval strength and in the midst of the green woods he erected a log cabin. 
In the succeeding autumn he returned to Wayne county and was there united 
in marriage to Miss Mary Ann Irvin, who was burn in Wayne county about 
1 81 2, her parents being honored pioneer people of that section of the state. 
In the spring of 1833 he brought his bride to his new home, and after two or 
three years he entered another forty-acre tract of land adjoining his home- 
stead on the north. As the years passed he made excellent improvements upon 
his place, and in 1861 erected a handsome and commomious frame residence 
on the north half of his farm. Then with his family he left the cabin home 
which had sheltered them during so many years of the pioneer days and took 
up his abode in the new dwelling, where he remained until his death, which 
occurred in November, 1883. His wife passed away about 1879, and only 
two of their nine children are yet living, the sister of our subject being Letitia,. 
the wife of Henry Rapp, of Auburn township, Crawford county. In politics 
he was a stanch Democrat, and served as trustee of the township for several 
years. He was widely and favorably known as an influential and prominent 
citizen, co-operating in all movements for the general good. He did not hold 
membership in any religious organization, but was a God-fearing man, who 
supported all charitable and church work. His preference was for the Pres- 
byterian church, of which his wife was a devoted and consistent member. 

David A. Scott is familiar with the history of Crawford county from early 
days. He lived here at a period when the work of progress and improvement 
was in its incipiency. He acquired his education in the district schools and 
worked in the fields from the time of early spring planting until crops were 
harvested in the autumn, thus becoming familiar with all departments of farm 
labor. When twenty-one years of age he took charge of the home farm, which 
he operated on the shares, and on the 1st of July, 1869, he secured as a com- 
panion and helpmate for the journey of life Miss Adeline Runnion, their wed- 
ding being celebrated on that date. The lady is a native of Cranberry town- 
ship and a daughter of William Runnion, who came to Crawford county in 
pioneer days from Richland county, Ohio, which was the place of his nativity. 
At the time of his marriage Mr. Scott received from his father as his patrimony 
fifty acres of a tract of sixty acres which adjoined the home place on the east, 
and there he settled with his bride, remaining upon that place until his 
mother's death, when he removed to the old home place in order to care for his- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 663 

father during his declining years. "While living upon his own farm he had 
also continued the operation of the homestead, and in 1874 he purchased the 
remaining ten acres of the farm. After his mother's death he bought sixty- 
two acres of the old home place, on which stood the farm buildings, and his 
sister took possession of the remaining" twenty-eight acres. Thus Air. Scott's 
property was increased to one hundred and twelve acres, and in 1897 he pur- 
chased fifty-three and a half acres of the Volney Powers estate. In 1900 he 
bought the old Volney Powers homestead of eighty acres — one of the most 
valuable and best improved farms of the county, situated about a mile east of 
New Washington. During the years of his manhood he has been numbered 
among the most progressive and energetic agriculturists of his community. 
His diligence and his labors are directed by sound business judgment and keen 
sagacity, while his honesty in trade transactions is proverbial. 

The home of Air. and Mrs. Scott has been blessed with thirteen children, 
of whom twelve are yet living: Fairy B., wife of Dr. E. C. Kimmerline, of 
Lykens township; Sherman, a drug clerk employed in South Bend, Indiana; 
Eva O., the wife of Adelbert Smith, of Seneca county, Ohio; Florence M., 
Dorcas, Melvin, Russell, Earl, Charles, Walter, Ralph and Mabel, at home. 
The family is one of prominence in the community, and Mr. Scott realizes the 
value of education as a preparation for life and has given his children excellent 
educational privileges. Five of the older members of the family have been 
successful teachers, and Fairy, Sherman and Dorcas are graduates of the high 
school of New Washington. The first named taught in the primary, inter- 
mediate and grammar departments of the New Washington schools and was 
recognized as a most successful and capable educator. In his political views 
David A. Scott is a stanch Democrat, and has served for several years as trus- 
tee of his township. He also filled the position of school director for eighteen 
successive years, and his labors were earnest, effective and beneficial in pro- 
moting the welfare of the schools. He is a member of Hyperion Lodge, K. of 
P., of New Washington, and not only in fraternal but in all walks of life he 
enjoys the esteem of his fellow men by reason of his diligence to the obligations 
and duties of both public and private life. 

MICHAEL MAROUART. 

One of the best-known representatives of agricultural pursuits in Craw- 
ford county that the fatherland has furnished to the new world is Michael 
Marquart, who was born in Baden, Germany, on the 27th of April, 181 7. His- 



664 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

parents were Michael and Margaret ( Fechter) Marquart He is now the only 
survivor of their family of five children. His parents were also natives of 
Germany, where they spent their entire lives. The father was a farmer by 
occupation, and during the financial panic of 1817 he lost his property and 
afterward worked for wages as a farm hand. In his parents' home Mr. Mar- 
quart remained until eighteen years of age, when he apprenticed himself to 
learn the brick and stone mason's trade. Believing that he could better his 
financial condition in the new world and that better opportunities could be 
secured, he started from home accompanied by his sister. They took passage 
on a steamer down the river Rhine to Havre de Grace and then embarked on 
the sailing vessel for America, landing in New York city August i_\ 1839, 
after a voyage of fifty-seven days. On reaching the eastern metropolis he 
found that he had a capital of but about two dollars. However, he gained the 
friendship of a fellow passenger who told Mr. Marquart that if he would go 
to Ohio with him he would loan him the money, which he could repay at a later 
day. 

Accordingly our subject and his sister made their way to Tuscarawas 
county, where Mr. Marquart first found employment in the ore bank near 
New Philadelphia, and from the wages he there received he was enabled to 
return the money advanced for his fare to Ohio. Later he worked at his trade 
and at various other occupations, allowing no opportunity to pass whereby he 
might gain an honest dollar. In 1843 ne canie to Crawford county, and, with 
the money which he had saved from his earnings in Tuscarawas county, he 
purchased sixty-nine acres of the present home. This was almost entirely 
virgin forest, only a small portion of the land having been cleared. On this 
a log cabin had been erected by the original settler and it served him as a home 
until 1 86 1, when he erected his present substantial farm residence. About 
1862 he purchased twenty-seven acres of land adjoining the home farm, and 
a year or two later added another tract of eighteen acres. Since then he has 
purchased three other farms, one of seventy-seven acres and another of eighty 
acres in Cranberry township and a third of thirty-six acres in Seneca county, 
so that his landed possessions now aggregate three hundred and seven acres. 
His farm is well improved with all modern accessories and conveniences. In 
appearance it is neat and thrifty, and the well-tilled fields return him golden 
harvests. 

In the year 1844 Mr. Marquart was united in marriage to Miss Catherine 
Streile, a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, who came to America when a 
young lady. They had five children, but only one is now living, Caroline, the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 665., 

wife of William Long-year, of this township. The mother died in 1854, and in. 
1855 Mr. Marqnart was again married, his second union being with Caroline 
W. Longyear, a native of Wurtemberg, who came to America with her father, 
Michael Long-year, when she was twenty-six years of age. Her father spent 
most of his time with his daughter and died at the home of our subject. By 
the second marriage there were seven children, of whom five are living, namely : 
August, a resident farmer of Cranberry township; Jefferson, who is also living 
in the same township; George, who operates the home farm; Wilhelmina, the 
wife of William Beckstine, of Cranberry township; and Emma, the wife of 
Frank Leonhart, of Chatfield township. In 1900 Mr. Marquart was again 
called to- mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 13th of March, six days 
before the seventy-second anniversary of her birth. He is a Democrat in his 
political affiliations and is a member of the German Evangelical Lutheran 
church, in which he held various offices, serving for many years as trustee, as 
deacon and as elder. His has been a busy, useful and active career. Starting- 
out in life in the new world empty-handed and having the disadvantage of un- 
familiarity with the language and customs of the people, he nevertheless read- 
ily adapted himself to his new surroundings and with determined purpose and 
unflagging industry worked his way steadily upward to a place of affluence, 
being now one of the substantial residents of Crawford county. He has passed 
the eighty-fourth milestone on the journey of life and is still a hale and hearty 
old man, well deserving the veneration which should ever be accorded to one 
of his years and also enjoys the warm regard of young and old, rich and poor. 

ADAM ECKSTEIN. 

One of the finely developed farms in Cranberry township, supplied with 
all modern equipments and facilities, is the property of Adam Eckstein. He 
was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, February 15, 1845, and is the second 
of the six surviving children of George and Mary ( Simmermaker) Eckstein, 
who were the parents of six sons and two daughters. The father also was a 
native of Hesse-Darmstadt, and after arriving at man's estate he was there 
married. In the year 1848 he came with his wife and three children to the 
United States, landing in Xew York, whence he started for Ohio, going first 
to Albany, thence to Buffalo by way of the canal, on to Sandusky by way of 
the Great Lakes and from there by rail to Shell)}-, whence they drove across the 
country to Vernon township, Crawford county. When Mr. Eckstein arrived 
in this county his cash capital consisted of but forty dollars. With this he 



666i CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

purchased a team of oxen and began farming on rented land. A year later he 
removed to Richland county, and for three years cultivated a rented farm in 
Sharon township. He made all of his own furniture, which was limited in 
amount as well as primitive in character. The first year a chest was used as a 
table, this having been brought from the old country, but the other furniture 
w T as largely of his own manufacture. In 1852 he returned to Vernon town- 
ship and purchased of George Dixon ninety-three acres of land, upon which his 
son John now resides. About one-half of this had been cleared and a log 
cabin erected. To the further development and improvement of his land the 
father devoted his energies throughout his remaining days. He was frugal 
and thrifty, and in later years was enabled to buy an adjoining tract of eighty 
acres, so that his farm comprised one hundred and seventy-three acres. In 
1866 he built a large bank barn and two years later erected a commodious and 
substantial frame residence and added other accessories, so that his place be- 
came one of the best-improved farms in the county. The men and measures 
of the Democracy received his political support. He belonged to the German 
Reformed church and for several years was one of its trustees and held various 
other church offices. His labors were of benefit in the upbuilding and ad- 
vancement of religious and educational work and in the material development 
of the community, for he assisted largely in reclaiming the wild lands for 
purposes of civilization. His death occurred February 7, 1885. His sur- 
viving children are: Philip, who is living in Huron county, Ohio; Adam; 
Peter, of Crestline; Catherine, now the wife of Urias Baublitz, a farmer of 
Cranberry township; George, who died, leaving six children, Lizzie, William, 
George, Frank, Minnie and Emma, who are residents of Vernon township ; 
William, who died, leaving four children, Calvin, Albert, Augusta and Xettie, 
of Crestline; John, who makes his home in Vernon township; and Julia, the 
wife of Louis Fisher, of Crestline. 

When only about three years of age Adam Eckstein was brought by his 
parents to the new world, and amid the wild scenes of frontier life in Ohio he 
was reared. He can remember when great forests stood where cultivated 
fields are now seen and when man}- of the thriving towns and cities were mere 
hamlets. In the district schools, such as the pioneer days afforded, he pursued 
his education, and in the summer months he took his place in the fields, aiding 
in the work of plowing, planting and harvesting. He remained at home until 
his marriage, with the exception of two summer seasons, during w hi c h he was 
employed by neighboring farmers. On the 6th of September, 1868. he wedded 
Miss Catherine E. Feick, a native of Hesse-Darmstadt and a dauo-hter of 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 667 

George and Anna E. Feick, who spent their entire lives in the fatherland. 
Mrs. Eckstein came to America in 1867 to join her sister Margaret, the wife 
of Fred Beach, of Crestline, who had come to America the year previous. 
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Eckstein were horn six children, and five of the number 
are yet living, namely : Catherine, the wife of William Kessler, of Auburn 
township; John F., who resides on a tract of eighty acres belonging to his 
father; George A., a carpenter of Oberlin, Ohio; and William E. and Julia A., 
at home. 

In the spring following his marriage Mr. Eckstein purchased eighty acres 
of his present farm and began agricultural pursuits on his own account. In 
1878 he erected a substantial frame residence and in 1891 built one of the 
largest barns in the county. In 1883 he purchased an adjoining forty acres 
of land, and in 1897 bought an additional tract of eighty acres lying just across 
the road from the home place, so that his landed possessions are now two hun- 
dred acres. He carries on farming along progressive lines, and upon his place 
are seen not only substantial buildings but also the latest improved machinery 
and splendid modern ecniipments, while the well-tilled fields indicate to the 
passer-by the careful supervision of an energetic owner. His ballot supports 
Democratic men and measures, and for three years he served as a member of 
the school board, but has never been an active politician in the sense of office 
seeking. He holds membership in the German Evangelical Lutheran church, 
and for six years was one of its elders., His financial aid and labors have con- 
tributed to its upbuilding and growth, and in his life he has exemplified its 
teachings and belief. 

EMAXUEL L. LUTZ. 

Upon the farm in Chatfield township upon which his father now resides 
Emanuel L. Lutz was born and reared. His birth occurred December 16, 
1853. At the usual age he entered school and through the winter months pur- 
sued his studies, while in the summer season he worked in the fields, aiding 
in the raising of crops from the time of early spring planting until after the 
autumn harvests. He did not go out to work, but assisted his father until his 
marriage, when he began making a home of his own. 

In 1874 Mr. Lutz was joined in wedlock to Gertrude Schaffer, a daugh- 
ter of Jacob and Catherine Schaffer, and their home has been enlivened and 
brightened by the presence of five children born to them, namely : Manetta, 
William F., Clara M., David H. and Emma L. Soon after their marriage our 



668 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

subject and his wife removed to their present farm. Here he owns one hun- 
dred and twenty-three acres of land, and, like most of Ohio's farming land, it 
is a richly productive tract, yielding good harvests for the care and labor be- 
stowed upon it. Mr. Lutz also owns fifty-eight acres of land elsewhere and is 
a successful general farmer. He realizes the dignity of labor, and industry 
has been one of his chief characteristics from his youth. Upon this he has 
builded his success, his sound judgment and reliable dealing also assisting 
him in acquiring the comfortable competence and good home which are to-day 
his. 

In his religious views Mr. Lutz is a German Evangelical Lutheran, hold- 
ing membership in the church in Chatfield. His political support is given the 
Democratic party, and on that ticket he has been elected to public office, having 
served as trustee of Chatfield township from 1895 until 1899, his long retention 
in office well indicating his faithful performance of duty. His friends, and 
they are many, know him as a man of genuine worth, and as a representative 
citizen of his township he well deserves mention in the history of Craw- 
ford county. 

PETER DURNWALD. 

Peter Durnwald, a resident farmer of Chatfield township, was born in Bo- 
hemia, Germany, in 1841, and is one of the nine children of Wenzal and 
Mary Durnwald, the others being: Margaret, who died at the age of ten 
years ; Anna, deceased ; Elizabeth ; Alary ; Magdalena ; Martin ; Joseph ; and 
Peter. It was in the year 1854 that the father brought his family to the 
United States, crossing the Atlantic in a sailing vessel, which was sixty-five 
days between port and port. Coming at once to Crawford county, they set- 
tled in Cranberry township, where the father purchased a small farm of eight- 
een acres and began to carve out a home for his family in the new land. 

Peer Durnwald was then a youth of fifteen. His childhood was largely 
devoted to assisting his father, but at the age of twenty-one he began working 
for himself, being employed by the month as a farm hand. Thus his time 
was passed for several years until he had money enough to begin farming on 
his own account. At the age of twenty-five lie purchased the farm upon which 
he now resides and it has since been his place of abode. A cabin stood on the 
place when he took possession and fifteen acres of the land had been cleared, 
but otherwise the place was unimproved. It comprised one hundred and 
forty-three acres of arable land, and the well-tilled fields now bring him golden 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 669 

harvests. Everything about the farm is kept in good condition and the lain u- 
of his hands in indicated by this desirable property, all of which he has acquired 
through his own efforts. For many years he was agent fur a harvesting 
machine company. 

Mr. Durnwald was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Deling, and for 
many years they traveled life's journey happily together, but in 1886 the}' were 
separated by the hand of death, the wife being called to her final rest. They 
had ten children, of whom the eldest, Elizabeth, is now deceased. The others 
are Martin, Anna, Rosa, Frank, Peter, John, Julia, AJatilda (deceased) and 
Edward. ■ 

Mr. Durnwald is a stanch Democrat in politics, but has never held office. 
He and his children are members of the Catholic church. Having improved 
the opportunities which America offers to her citizens, he has advanced finan- 
cially, and to-day is accounted one of the substantial farmers of his com- 
munity. 

JACOB BRC^\ \. 

For many years Jacob Brown has engaged in dealing in live stock, and 
his business has been conducted along such safe lines and in such an honorable 
manner that he has won a very gratifying competence. He resides in the vil- 
lage of Chatlield, and is there accounted not only a prosperous business man but 
also a progressive citizen, whose labors have contributed to the upbuilding of 
the town. 

Air. Brown was born in Lykens township, Crawford county, Alav 4. 1864,. 
and is a son 1 \ < rottlieb Brown, a native of ( rermany. The son spent his child- 
hood and youth on the family homestead in Lykens township, and in the dis- 
trict schools of the neighborhood pursued his education. At the earlv age of 
fourteen years he began buying and trading horses, a business with which he 
has since been connected. When eighteen years of age he bought one hun- 
dred and twenty acres of land, and in connection with farming continuing to 
deal in horses. At the age of twenty he became connected with J. T. Carbin 
in a mercantile venture in Lykens, but after a year disposed of his interest 
there and entered into partnership with < r. V. Hare. They established a 
eral store, which they conducted successfully for four years, and at the same 
time Mr. Brown engaged in dealing in horses and cattle. On the expiration 
of that period he came to Chatfield, where he has since been successfully and 

extensively engaged in buying stock, hogs and sheep. He is an excellent judge 
37 



670 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

of farm animals and is thus enabled to make judicious purchases and sell to 
advantage, thus realizing a good profit. He also owns one hundred and eight 
acres of desirable land in Chatheld township. 

In 1 89 1 Air. Brown was married to Miss Hannah Kalb, a daughter of 
John Kalb, and unto them have been born four children: Shannon J., Milton 
J., Neva O. and Feltus E. The family have a wide acquaintance and their 
friends in the community are almose equal in number to the number of their 
acquaintances. Socially Mr. Brown is a member of Wren Lodge, K. of P., 
of Lykens, and in his political adherency he is a Democrat. He has been cor- 
poration treasurer of the village of Chatheld since its incorporation, and while 
residing in Lykens was for two terms assessor, treasurer for six years and 
postmaster for four years. Llis official duties have ever been discharged with 
the same business-like dispatch, fidelity and integrity that has marked his 
business career and made him one of the valued and respected residents of 
Chatheld. 

AUGUST MUTH. 

August Muth is a representative example of the German-American citi- 
zens of Crawford county. The fatherland has furnished to Ohio many men 
of worth, whose enterprise and industry have not alone promoted their own 
advancement but have contributed to the general prosperity, and to this class 
August Muth belongs. He was born in Germany, December 17, 1850, and 
spent the first fifteen years of his life in his native land, after which he sailed 
for America, for he had received favorable reports of the opportunities afforded 
to young men in the new world and therefore resolved to try his fortune here. 
For three years he was employed as a salesman in a store in Pittsburg, Penn- 
svlvania. and on the expiration of that period he embarked on an independent 
business venture. For seven years he ran a huckster's wagon, and then with 
the capital he had acquired he established a wholesale produce store in Pitts- 
burg, successfully conducting the enterprise for five years. In 1885 he pur- 
chased his present store in Chatfield, Crawford county, Ohio, and has since 
carried on operations as a general merchant. He carries a large and well- 
selected stock of goods, and his earnest desire to please his patrons, his energy 
and his honorable dealing have brought to him prosperity. He also> established 
the Clear Springs Creamery, which not only is a source of profit to the owner 
but is of value to the farming community by furnishing a market for the dairy 
products. He was likewise instrumental in securing the Short Line Railroad 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 671 

through Chatfield, and is a progressive citizen deeply interested in everything 
pertaining to the welfare of his community. 

Mr. Muth has been twice married. He first wedded Louise Voight, and 
they had five children : Mary, Martin, Walter and two who died in infancy. 
For his second wife Mr. Muth chose Miss Caroline Mohrhoff, and they had 
seven children, namely : Clara, who died in infancy. Arnold, Bertha. Annie, 
Callie, Harry and Amelia. The family attend the German Evangelical Lu- 
theran church, of which Mr. Muth has been a life member. In his political 
affiliations he is a Democrat, but has never sought or desired office, preferring 
to* give his time and energies to his business interests, in which he has met 
with creditable and well-deserved success. 

DAVID A. LUTZi. 

Among the progressive men of Liberty township, Crawford county, who 
are well known and respected, none stand higher in public esteem than does 
David A. Lutz. Mr. Lutz was born in Chatfield township, this county, on 
September 9, 1867, a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Ulmer) Lutz, and was a 
member of a family of four children, the two- survivors being himself and his 
sister Catherine, the wife of W. E. Green, of Liberty township. Daniel Lutz, 
the father, was also a native of Chatfield township and was born on December 
12, 1837, a son of Gottlieb and Gottlieben ( Kibler) Lutz, both of whom were 
born in Wurtemberg, German}-. There they married and two of their children 
were born there before the family emigrated, in 1832. to America. Their 
voyage covered sixty days, and they came directly from Xew York to Lisbon, 
Ohio, where Gottlieb worked for one year at his trade of weaver. In 1833 
he removed to Crawford county, settled in Chatfield township, entered forty 
acres of land and built his cabin in the forest. Later he bought additional land 
until his farm numbered one hundred and twenty-eight acres. His death took 
place on his farm when he was seventy-one years old, his faithful wife having 
passed away in 1850. 

At the age of twenty years Daniel Lutz began to learn the carpenter's 
trade and worked at it for some time In 1865 he was married to Miss 
Elizabeth Ulmer, and then purchased his father's farm, the latter coming to 
live with his son, and so continued until his death. In 1882 Mr. Lutz pur- 
chased one hundred and eight acres of land, and also the Keller farm of fifty 
acres which adjoined it on the east, and then removed to his new home, dis- 
posing of his Chatfield township farm some years later. Mr. Lutz is one of 



672 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the leading members of the Lutheran church, and for twelve years has been 
a trustee and a member of the building committee that erected the present im- 
posing brick structure known as the St. Paul German Lutheran church of 
Liberty township. In his political life he has always been an uncompromising 
Democrat. His life and character have made him one of the most esteemed 
citizens of the county. The mother of our subject was born in Liberty town- 
ship, July 2j, 1838, a daughter of Daniel and Barbara Uimer, both of them 
natives of Germany. They came to Crawford county the same year as did 
the Lutz family. The mother passed out of life May 1 1 , 1898. 

The early life of our subject, David A. Lutz, was spent upon his father's 
estate, and he was afforded the best possible opportunities for the attainment of 
an education. When eighteen years old his father entrusted a portion of the 
farm to his care, and he operated it on shares. On December 10, 1891, he 
was married to Miss Mary Luidhardt, a native of this township, a daughter of 
John and Louisa Luidhardt, the former of whom was bom in this township. 
His lather, George Luidhart, came to Crawford county at an early day. 
Mother Luidhardt was a native of Germany and was brought to this country 
when she was but a child. 

Jn September, 1891, our subject, in partnership with his brother-in-law, 
W. E. Green, purchased the old Lutz farm in Chatfield township and also the 
old Keller farm of seventy-two acres in Liberty township, both of these having 
been the property of Mr. Lutz, Sr. During one summer the partners engaged 
in cultivating together, but in the following September they divided their in- 
terests, our subject acquiring the Keller farm, while Mr. Green took the Chat- 
field township farm. Mr. Lutz is one of the energetic young agriculturists of 
this county, and not only successfully cultivates his own land but also tills 
eighty-six acres of that belonging to his father. Like his father, he is a stanch 
member of the Democratic party. For three years he served as a trustee in 
the Lutheran church and is highly valued there. He has displayed great 
ability in his chosen occupation, and his success has been very gratifying not 
only in a pecuniary way but also in the position it has given him as a worthy 
representative of an honored and industrious family. • 

REV. DANIEL BROSE. 

Rev. Daniel Brose, who for many years has been connected with agri- 
cultural and industrial interests in Crawford county, and is also laboring for 
the spiritual welfare of the people among whom he lives as a minister of the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 673 

Pietist church, makes his home in Chatfield township, and upon the farm where 
he now resides his birth occurred on the 31st of October, 1849. His father, 
Michael" Brose, and his grandfather. Andrew Brose, were both natives of 
Wurtemberg, Germany, and in 1832 the latter brought his family to the new 
world, crossing the Atlantic in a sailing vessel, which was then the only means 
of navigation. He settled in Liberty township, Crawford county, but his 
death occurred soon afterward. His son. Michael Brose, was married in this 
county to Agnes Steinhielber, and soon afterward they took up their residence 
in Chatfield township, the father devoting his remaining days to agricultural 
pursuits. He was industrious, energetic and determined and provided a com- 
fortable living for his large family. He died in 1872. at the age of sixty-five 
years and five months, and his wife passed away at the age of sixty years and 
five months. They were members of the Pietist church and were earnest 
Christian people, having the warm regards of all with whom they were asso- 
ciated. They had thirteen children : Jacob, who is living in Williams county, 
Ohio; Gottlieb, of Indiana; Rebecca, wife of Simon Long, of Indiana; Daniel, 
of Chatfield township; Fridericka. wife of Jacob Reidle, of Chatfield township: 
Catherine, the wife of Daniel Long, of Chatfield township; Elizabeth, wife of 
John Baumgartner, of Chatfield township; David, of Cranberry township; 
Mary A., the wife of Samuel Calb, of Chatfield township; and Lydia S., the 
wife of Michael Streib, of Whetstone township. Three died in their child- 
hood. 

Born and reared on the old home farm, on attaining his majority Mr. 
Brose, of this review, became associated with his father in the cultivation of 
the fields and the management of the property, and so continued until 1878, 
when he began the manufacture of brick and tile and also sawing lumber. 
In 1889 he extended the field of agricultural pursuits, and to this dual occupa- 
tion he gives his attention with excellent success. He now owns one hundred 
acres of good land in Chatfield township and follows general farming in addi- 
tion to his other pursuits. He is active, energetic and persevering, and his 
well-conducted business affairs have brought to him a good profit. In the 
manufacture of tile and brick he has been associated with his brother-in-law, 
J. Baumgartner, as a partner. 

On the 15th of March, 188 1, Rev. Brose was united in marriage to Miss 
Levina Bower, of Brownstown, Illinois, and nine children grace their union, 
of whom seven are vet living: Alice S., Ida M., Fredericka M., Lavina K., 
Lizzie L., Daniel F. and Michael S. The other two died in childhood. 

Air. Brose has never been an aspirant for public office. For nine years he 



674 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

has been a minister of the Pietist church of his neighborhood, numbering about 
forty-five families, and he also acts as pastor of another church in Todd town- 
ship, numbering about forty-two families. His influence is widely felt and the 
work which he has performed in the cause of Christianity has brought forth 
rich fruits. 

SIMON SHADE. 

For almost a third of a century Simon Shade has resided upon the farm in 
Lykens township which is now his home. He was born in Columbiana county, 
Ohio, April 7, 1834, one of the thirteen children, five sons and eight daughters, 
who were born of the marriage of Samuel and Catherine Shade. Of this num- 
ber ten reached years of maturity. In 1836 the father removed with his fam- 
ily to Seneca county, Ohio, taking up his abode in Venice township, where he 
purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land that had been owned by a pre- 
vious purchaser who had erected a log cabin upon the place. Mr. Shade cut 
away the dense forest, prepared the land for the plow and in due course of 
time garnered abundant harvests. For a number of years he made his home 
thereon, but eventually removed to Tiffin, where he spent his remaining days, 
passing away at the age of seventy years. His wife survived him and reached 
the advanced age of ninety-six years, while her father died at the extreme old 
age of one hundred and two years. He served with the American army in the 
war of the Revolution. 

Upon the home farm in Seneca county Simon Shade spent the days of his 
boyhood and youth, early becoming familiar with all the duties and labors 
which fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He was married in 1859 to Miss 
Louisa Kniemen, and their union has been blessed with four children: Clara, 
the wife of R. Brown, of Bloomville ; Lizzie, who married J. F. Runyon, of 
Van Wert, Ohio: S. Andrew, who is upon the home farm; and Willie E., at 
Cygnet. 

After his marriage Mr. Shade located upon a farm of eighty-six acres, 
upon which he resided until 18O9, when he came to his present home in Lykens 
township. He has here eighty acres of land and one hundred and sixty acres 
in Chatfield township. His home is a commodious and pleasant farm resi- 
dence, and good barns and outbuildings furnish shelter for grain and stock. 
Everything about the place is kept in good condition and the well-tilled fields 
yield a golden return for the care and labor bestowed upon them. 

In 1900 Mr. Shade was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 675 

was si ruck by lightning on the 18th of July while in the church attending a 
funeral. She was a most estimable lady and had many warm friends. Mr. 
Shade belongs to the German Reformed church, and in his political affiliations 
is a Democrat. He entered upon his business career without capital and the 
success he has achieved is, therefore, the merited reward of his own labor, for 
his has been a busy, active, useful and honorable life. 

JAMES DUNLAP. 

The family of Dunlap in America comes of Scotch ancestry, and in all 
generations it has produced men and women of exceptional ability and worth. 
It is ably represented in Ohio, and its most prominent representative in Craw- 
ford county is James Dunlap, of Texas township, a progressive and prosperous, 
farmer of much influence and importance in local affairs. 

Tames Dunlap was born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania. January 13, 
1832, a son of John and Mary ( Loeman) Dunlap. who had six sons and two 
daughters. The following data concerning different members of this family 
will be found interesting: James Dunlap, the subject of this sketch, was the 
first in order of birth. Daniel served his country as a soldier one hundred days 
in the Civil war and lives in Kansas. John lives in Rchland county. Ohio. 
Samuel was during a greater portion of the Civil war a member of the Eighth 
Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry and is now living in Oklahoma. \\ illiam 
fought for the flag in the Civil war as a member of the Third Ohio Cavalry 
and is now living in Kansas. Mary and Abbie are dead. Jacob was a mem- 
ber of the Twelfth Ohio Cavalry and saw much arduous and dangerous service 
in the war between the states. 

John Dunlap settled in Texas township, Crawford county, Ohio, in 1835,. 
and bought forty acres of land, on which there was a clearing of a few acres 
and a small log cabin. He improved the property and died there in 1S7S. at 
the age of eigty-two years. His wife died in 1846. When his parents went 
to Texas township James Dunlap was three years old. He remembers having 
walked a mile and a half to a school kept in a log school house and states that 
during his youth game was plentiful in the woods round about and Indians 
were frequently seen. When a mere boy he began to help his father clear land 
and put it under cultivation, and when he was sixteen yars old he began work- 
ing out by the month, but made his home with his father until 1854. when, 
December 2$< he married Mary Livensparger, who bore him eight children. 
Their daughter Florence married a Mr. Dorrick, of Tiffin, Ohio. Their daugh- 



676 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ter Laura is the wife of Scott Hoyellett, of Texas township. Their daughter 
Jane married William Tuttle, of Crawford county. Their son Elmer lives in 
Bucyrus, Ohio. Their son Sidney lives at Shelby, Ohio. Their daughter 
Minnie is dead. Their daughter Elva is the wife of Horace Miller. Their 
son Ralph lives in Sycamore, Ohio. 

For a time after his marriage Mr. Dunlap lived at Bloomfield, Ohio. He 
then moved to a small farm in Kent county, Ohio, which he had previously 
pre-empted. Jt was heavily timhered and he made a small clearing there and 
erected a log cabin, in which he was domiciled for two years. Then he re- 
moved to Crestline, Ohio, where for one year he was employed by a sawmill 
•company. From there he removed to Wyandot county, where after three 
years he bought seventy acres of land in Eaton township, on which he lived 
until the spring of 1862, when he removed to Texas township, where in the 
September following he bought eighty acres of the farm on which he now 
lives. 

In 1864 Mr . Dunlap enlisted as a private in Company C, Eightieth Regi- 
ment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was sent to North Carolina, where it 
performed picket duty until the spring of 1865. Thence in succession it went 
to Xashville, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Ohio, Columbus, Ohio, Washington, D. 
C, and Alexandria, Virginia, where it was stationed until the close of the war. 
After he was discharged from the United States service with all due honor he 
returned to his farm in Texas township, Crawford county, Ohio, and has since 
given his attention to general farming and stock-raising with such success that 
he has added to his home farm until it now contains one hundred and sixteen 
acres, and he owns fifty acres in another tract. 

In politics he is a Democrat, and he wields considerable political influence 
in his township and has served his fellow townsmen for many years as a school 
■director and for six years as township trustee. 

HEXRY D. E. JOFIXSTOX. 

Prominent among the pioneer families of Crawford county is that of 
Johnston, of which Henry D. E. Johnston, deceased, was a representative. 
His father, Thomas F. Johnston, was a pioneer settler of the county, coming 
here in 1826 from Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, where he was born Feb- 
ruary 3, 1800. He was a son of an Irish emigrant who settled in Lycoming 
county. In 1823 Thomas F. Johnston married Martha L. Walton, a daugh- 
ter of David and Elizabeth (Rogers) Walton, and was born in Lycoming 




H. D. E. JOHHSTOH. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 679 

county, Pennsylvania, May 11, 1803; her early ancestors in America were 
from England. It was soon after his marriage that Thomas F. Johnston emi- 
grated to Crawford county, coming by wagon and team. 

On coming to this county it was his first intention to follow his trade, 
that of cabinet-making, in Bucyrus, then a village of some eight log cabins 
and two frame buildings. The place not promising much for him in the way 
of remuneration from labors at his trade, because of which he turned his 
attention to farming in Whetstone township until the year 1829, he removed 
to Findlay, Hancock county, this state, where he lived for three years, and 
then returned to Crawford county, settling in Dallas township. While in 
Hancock he served as county auditor one term. He acquired large landed 
possessions in Crawford count}' and his farming interests grew to 
larger proportions. He also became a large stock-raiser, especially of sheep. 
He was a good business man and amassed a good estate. His death occurred 
November 1, 1862. His wife survived him many years, dying at an advanced 
age in Bucyrus, to which city she removed in 1865. She bore her husband 
the following children: Henry D. E., the immediate subject of this sketch; 
S. G. Johnston, who died in 1870, aged forty-three years; Henrietta, who 
married Thomas J. Monnett and died in 1871 ; Lavina, who died at the age 
of fifteen years; Josiah S., who died in infancy; W. H. H. Johnston, who, as 
a member of the Thirty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in the Civil war, 
served for a short time and was honorably discharged on account of failing- 
health, and who died in 1865; James O. Johnston, who also served a short 
time in the Civil war, but fell a victim of consumption in 1865; Oregon John- 
ston, who served also in the Civil war and died in 1876; and Agnes J. John- 
ston, the youngest of the family, who also is deceased. Consumption was 
hereditary in the family and of it nearly all the children died. 

Henry D. E. Johnston was born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, 
August 8, 1825, and was reared amid the scenes of pioneer life, obtaining a 
limited education. He was brought up on the farm and farming and stock- 
raising was his life pursuit. He was a shrewd, careful and successful business 
man. For a few years he was associated with his brother, S. G., in the busi- 
ness of dealing in stock. In 1857 h e married Miss Jane Ludwig. the youngest 
child of Samuel Ludwig, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. 
For two years after his marriage Mr. Johnston was engaged in both farming 
and stock-dealing, but, removing to Bucyrus, he engaged exclusively in the 
stock trade for three years. He then returned to the farm and was thereafter 
engaged in both farming and the stock business until the time of his death, 



68o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

which occurred April 19, 1870. He left three children, namely: Nora, Zua 
and Mary Agness. In politics Mr. Johnston was a Republican, and a short 
time before his death he became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. 
He was possessed of many sterling qualities. A creditable portrait of him 
appears in this volume. 

BENJAMIN F. SIMMONS. 

Long prominent in agricultural life of Crawford county, Benjamin F. 
Simmons is one of the best known and highly esteemed citizens. His birth was 
in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in February, 1827, and he was a son of 
Lawrence and Alar}' ( Rice) Simmons. They had a family of four children 
born to them, but our subject is the only survivor. 

Lawrence Simmons, who was the father of our subject, was also born in 
the Keystone state, about 1805, and was married in that state. By vocation he 
was a farmer, but when operations on his land were interrupted by unfavorable 
weather he filled up his time in the manufacture of splint-bottomed chairs, for 
which he found ready sale. About 1829, when our subject was but two years 
of age, the family emigrated to Crawford county, Ohio, a devoted aunt, a sis- 
ter to the mother of our subject, carrying the child with her all the distance 
on horseback. Upon arrival in Ohio Father Simmons entered eighty acres of 
land, which was located one and one-half miles south of Sulphur Springs, in 
Liberty township, and upon this land he erected a cabin in the woods and 
started upon the task of clearing this land. The industry of Air. Simmons 
seemed to have no limit, for in addition to clearing and cultivating his land he 
added very materially to the income by making the comfortable chairs as above 
mentioned, also looms, which were needed in every household, and in working 
in wood generally, possessing a natural skill in this line. Naturally he pros- 
pered, and was soon able to add to his original purchase of land, buying an 
adjoining sixty acres, and upon this farm of one hundred and forty acres he 
resided until 1846, at that time selling it to advantage and moving to Todd 
township, where he bought the farm of one hundred and sixty acres which 
adjoins the present farm of our subject on the south, and shortly after he 
bought another farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, lying just 
across the highway from his on the east. Some years later he sold one of these 
farms and removed to Bucyrus, our subject taking charge of the other farm. 

After some six years of residence in Bucyrus, Mr. Simmons returned to 
the farm, but shortly after a fine offer was made him which resulted in the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 68 1 

disposal of this valuable property. Then Mr. Simmons bought a small home 
property near the village of Nevada, and here he lived during the remainder 
of his life. The mother of our subject died the year following the removal of 
the family to Ohio, and the second marriage of the father was to Miss Cath- 
erine Swisher, and to them six children were born, all of whom have passed 
away, Mrs. Simmons also passing out of life. The third marriage of Mr. Sim- 
mons was to Mrs. Mclntvre, but there was no issue of this marriage, and she 
survived her husband for some eighteen years. 

In public affairs Mr. Simmons was prominent and was a leader in the 
Democratic party, but he is best remembered as one of the enterprising and de- 
voted members of the United Brethren church, to which he contributed liberally 
and gave much of his time and attention for a long period. He was the founder 
and prime mover in the building of the first church of this denomination in 
Osceola, which is now in course of rebuilding, and he was also the leading" spirit 
in the erection of the church in Nevada, after his removal there, and was valued 
for his Christian character. 

Despite the long journey from his native state Benjamin F. Simmons grew 
to robust manhood in his pioneer home, developing a strong body and that love 
for agricultural pursuits which certainly gives a healthy trend to the mind 
as well as to the body. His education was acquired in the pioneer school-house, 
and Mr. Simmons can readily recall the old slab benches and puncheon floors, 
as well as the lessons learned within its walls. 

In 185 1 our subject was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Souders, who. 
was a native of Liberty township, in this county, and who was a daughter of 
"William Souders, who was one of the old pioneers of Libertv township. Short- 
ly before the marriage of Mr. Souders, the father and sons built a sawmill on 
the farm, on Broken Sword creek, and for the succeeding nine years Benjamin 
gave continued attention to the working of this mill. For some time this was 
only a sawmill, but later Mr. Simmons became its sole owner, with eleven acres 
of land, and he then added a set of buhrs and fitted it up completely as a flour- 
ing-mill. For a number of years he made as excellent flour here as was made 
in any other place in the state, up to t86o. At that date he exchanged this 
mill for a farm of forty acres and a residence property in Oceola, later selling 
the latter, but he removed his family to the farm. At that time the land was 
heavily timbered and Mr. Simmons began the hard work of clearing, but this 
was given up on account of the death of his wife, at which time he broke up. 
housekeeping. 

The second marriage of Mr. Simmons was two vears later, to Miss Henri- 



682 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

etta Chapman, who died in 1892. Three children were born to the first union, 
but all of them have passed away. Two children were born to the second mar- 
riage, the only survivor being Lawrence D., who is the farmer on the home 
farm and is a man of prominence and stability in the township, at present be- 
ing its efficient treasurer. He was married in 1894 to Miss Rice Forest, and 
two children have been born to this union, — Ralph and Benjamin, both bright, 
intelligent youths. 

For some time following his second marriage our subject continued on 
his own farm, but later sold it and took charge of his father's farm while the 
latter resided in Bucyrus. Upon the return of the elder Mr. Simmons our sub- 
ject purchased his present farm of eighty acres and has resided here in great 
•comfort ever since. His son manages the operations of the farm and Mr. Sim- 
mons is enabled to take his ease after a busy and industrious life He has al- 
ways been an active Democrat in politics and enjoys the esteem of the county, 
through which he is regarded as one of the most highly valued of its citizens, 
a man whose word is as good as his bond, and as one who may always be found 
exerting an influence in the direction of morality as well as progress. 

•RICHARD COVER. 

Richard Cover is the foreman of the roundhouse in Crestline, a respon- 
sible position which he capably fills, being well qualified by broad experience, 
executive force and sound judgment. Fie was born in Richland county, Ohio, 
December 24, 1846. His father, Cyrus K. Cover, was a native of Pottsville. 
Pennsylvania, and about 1835 emigrated to Richland county, Ohio. He be- 
came a contractor and builder and followed the business in Richland county 
until 1856. About 1852 he came to Crawford county and the following year 
took up his abode in Crestline, where he opened and conducted a hotel for about 
a year. . He afterward gave his attention to the butchering business and was 
following that business at the time of his death, which occurred when he was 
fifty-two years of age. In politics he was a stalwart Democrat and for two 
terms served as constable. His wife, Margaret Pfiefer, was a native of Penn- 
sylvania, where she remained until her marriage. She lived to be eighty- 
two years of age, passing away in Crestline. This worthy couple were the 
parents of eight children, one of whom died in infancy, while four sons are yet 
living. 

Richard Cover, the sixth child and fourth son of the family, was about 
two years of age when brought to Crawford county. He was reared and edu- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 683 

cateci in Crestline and worked with his father in the butchering business un- 
til 1869, when he became connected with the railway service as fireman on the 
Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago road, acting in that capacity for twenty-one 
months. He was then promoted to the position of engineer, serving in that po- 
sition for three years, running between Crestline and Alliance. Subsequently 
he was made foreman of the roundhouse at Crestline and for twenty-six years 
has thus been connected with the road, his long service indicating most clearly 
his faithfulness to duty and his ability in the discharge of the work devolved 
upon him. In 1901 he asked for a day job, which the company granted him. 
"Sir. Cover was united in marriage in Crestline in 1870 to Miss Amanda 
Richards, a native of this city and a daughter of B. O. and Mary Richards, 
early settlers of Crawford county, now living in Kansas. Mrs. Amanda Cover 
died in 1879. Unto our subject and wife were born two daughters, Viola, 
who is now the wife of James Reecb of Crestline, Ohio, a telegraph operator; 
and Ada, wife of Horace Burgett, a fireman on the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & 
Chicago Railroad at Crestline. There are also two grandchildren, Xed and 
Helen Reed. In political views Mr. Cover is a stanch Democrat, firmly advo- 
cating the principles of the party as set forth by its leaders and special conven- 
tions, yet he has never sought or desired office, preferring to devote his entire 
attention to- his business interests. 

GEORGE D. ZIMMERMAN. 

The prominent citizen of Todd township, Crawford county, Ohio, whose 
familiar name is above, was born in Wayne county, Ohio, April 5, 1835, a son 
of John Zimmerman, a native of Union county, Pennsylvania, who married 
Eliza Davidson. The father of John Zimmerman was killed when the latter 
was five years old and John was brought by his mother to Columbiana county, 
Ohio, and thence taken to Wayne county, also in this state, where Mrs. Zim- 
merman and her sons bought military land from the United States government 
and where John was married. 

John and Eliza (Davidson) Zimmerman had children as follows, all liv- 
ing in this state : George D. ; Ephraim, who lives in Bucyrus ; Israel, who lives 
in Wyandot county; Nathan, who lives in Defiance; Albert, of Findlay ; and 
Hannah, who married B. H. Clendenin, of Antrim township, Wyandot county. 
Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman and their family removed to Crawford county, 
Ohio, in 1846, settling in Todd township, and bought one hundred and sixty 
acres of land from Judge Swan, of Columbus, Ohio, where the village of Lem- 



684 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ert has since grown up. Thirty acres of the tract had been cleared and a log 
house had been built upon it. There John Zimmerman lived out the remainder 
of his days and died December 20, 1878, at the age of seventy-three years. 
From the time of the organization of the Republican party he acted with it in 
all questions of public policy. He served his township as trustee and filled other 
important offices. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and 
was liberal in the support of its various interests. His wife died February 
25, 1887, aged about seventy-one years. 

When John Zimmerman brought his family to Todd township the subject 
of this sketch was about eleven years old. He remained with his father until 
he was twenty-one years of age, assisting him about his farm work and attend- 
ing the common schools near his home as opportunity afforded during the 
years of his youth. In 1856 he went to the far west by way of the Nicaragua 
route. He engaged in prospecting for minerals on the north fork of the 
American river and later on Bear river, but made his headquarters about 
sixteen miles from Sacramento, California. He remained on the coast about 
four years, during which time he took up several mining claims, and then 
returned to< Ohio with the expectation of going back to California, but at the 
request of his father he remained and for two years was with him on his home 
farm. He married Phoebe Jane Caughey, of Sycamore, Ohio, and after his 
marriage he located on the farm in Todd township which he has since owned 
and operated. The place comprises one hundred and ten acres of land, well 
improved and very productive, much of which Mr. Zimmerman devotes to 
general farming. Mr. Zimmerman is a Republican. 

Mrs. Zimmerman, who died January 6, 1900, bore her husband si-x chil- 
dren, as follows : Alida C, who is the wife of William Lambright, of Nevada, 
Ohio ; Viola, who is the wife of Scott Ekleberry. of Todd township ; and Clara. 
Amy, Annie and Daisy, who are members of their father's household. Clara 
is a milliner and Viola and Daisy and Annie have achieved an enviable repu- 
tation as school teachers. 

JOHN DILLINGER. 

A representative of one of the honored pioneer families of Crawford 
county, John Dillinger has resided within its borders for more than sixty 
years and throughout a long period has been a most active factor in its sub- 
stantial development and improvement. He was born in Stark county, Ohio. 
September 24, 1827, the family residing at that time near Canton. His father, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 685 

Joseph Dillinger, was a native of York county, Pennsylvania, and was of 
German descent. He was reared upon a farm and in early life learned the 
miller's trade. When a young man he emigrated westward to Stark county, 
Ohio, where he married Susanna Smith, and as honored pioneer people of 
Ohio they aided in laying' the foundation for the development and upbuilding 
of the commonwealth. They had six children, namely : John, of this review ; 
Hiram, who is living in Putnam county, Ohio ; David, Harriet, Emeline and 
Manais, all now deceased. 

In the year 1834 Joseph Dillinger came with his family to Crawford 
county and located in Lykens township, where he entered one hundred and 
sixty acres of land from the government — the farm upon which Henry Ob- 
lander now resides. He then contracted with Ben Huddle to build him a log- 
cabin for thirty dollars, but on account of illness Huddle was unable to per- 
form the work and when the Dillinger family arrived in the county there was 
no 1 house awaiting their occupancy. They unloaded their goods in the woods 
and erected a shanty of clapboards and later built of round logs a cabin con- 
taining one room. They had to clear a place on which to build, so heavily 
was the timber. There were few roads in the county and everything was yet 
in a primitive condition. The father cleared and improved his farm and made 
his home thereon until his death, which occurred when he was fifty-seven years 
of age. His wife died a few years later. 

Mr. Dillinger, of this review, was a little lad of seven summers when the 
family came to Lykens township. He was reared upon the pioneer farm and 
aided in clearing and cultivating the land. He never had the privilege of 
attending school until he was thirteen years of age, and his advantages were v 
then very meager, but experience, observation and reading have added greatly 
to his knowledge. In 1850 he rented a farm of eighty acres, and after culti- 
vating it for three years purchased the property upon which he resided until 
1867, when he came to his present farm. His landed possessions aggregate 
two hundred acres, and the place is well improved with all modern accessories 
and conveniences. A substantial residence, with barns and good outbuildings 
in the rear, stands in the midst of highly cultivated fields and neatness and 
thrift characterize everything about the place. Mr. Dillinger carries on gen- 
eral stock-raising. He has been buying cattle, hogs and sheep for thirty years 
and has been shipping since 1872. Since 1892 he has been engaged in buying 
stock at Sycamore, and his business endeavors have been crowned with a 
gratifying degree of success. 

In 1847 Mr. Dillinger was united in marriage to Miss Mariah Lister, and 



686 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

unto them have been born nine children : Marilda, the wife of Enoch Watson, 
of Clyde, Ohio; James, a stock-buyer of Lykens ; Delilah, the deceased wife 
of James Fenchner; Arlita, the wife of E. R. Runyon, of Van Wert, Ohio; 
Alary A., the wife of Moses Vance, also a stock-buyer of Lykens; David, who 
is engaged in buying and selling stock at Bloomville ; John, who is living in the 
same place ; Laura, the wife of Milo McClelland, their home being on her 
father's farm; and Leonora, the wife of William Salty, of Clyde, Ohio. 

Air. Dillinger gives his political support tu the men and measures of the 
Union Reform party. Since 1863 he has been a member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, and is likewise a member of the Baptist church. He 
is a most enterprising and progressive citizen and no resident of Lykens town- 
ship has done as much for its welfare and progress as Mr. Dillinger, who 
withholds his co-operation from no movement calculated for the general good. 
He is generous and genial in disposition and wherever known he has won 
many warm friends. 

HORATIO W. MARKLEY. 

Horatio W. Markley is one of the progressive and prominent men of 
Crawford county, and is a descendant of several of the most distinguished 
families of this part of Ohio. Mr. Markley was born in Liberty township, 
Crawford county, on July 24, 1848, and was a son of Joseph and Elizabeth 
(Stough) Markley. The paternal great-grandparents were Joseph and Susan- 
nah (Wigley) Markley. They came to what is now Ashland county, then 
Richland, Ohio, in 181 5, entering about three hundred acres of land on the 
present site of the city of Ashland. Here he erected and later conducted an 
extensive distillery business, and as the years passed became one of the sub- 
stantial men of the locality. Both he and wife were unusually corpulent, their 
accumulated weight being metre than five hundred pounds. Every year, 
arrayed in a peculiar riding costume, one feature of which were beaver hats, 
they made a horseback trip to the eastern relatives, where they were expected 
with pleasure on account of their many admirable traits of character. They 
reared a family of eleven boys and two girls, all of them being of more than 
average weight and size. The smallest of the boys, faceciously called "the 
runt." weighed two hundred and fifty pounds. All of the family lived to 
marry and rear families of their own. The extraordinary strength of five of 
these sons excited general comment, as each one could take a full barrel of whis- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 687 

key up in his hands and drink from the bung. Perhaps the strongest of all was 
Horatio, who was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, in 1804, and was 
considered the strongest man in the county. Shortly after his marriage he 
came to Craw ford county and entered one hundred and forty-four acres of 
land in Liberty township, where his daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Teel, now re- 
sides. With the assistance of his brother Mathias, who had preceded him 
here some years, assisted also by the two wives, a comfortable log cabin was 
built and on this farm he spent his whole life. Pie became prosperous and 
was able to leave his children very well situated, giving each one a farm at 
the time of maturity. He was long one of the leaders in the English Lutheran 
church and was known through the county for his kindness and liberality. 
No call for help was ever disregarded, and when death came, in 1880, at the 
age of seventy-six, the mourners extended far beyond those of his own family. 
He married Nancy Link, who was the daughter of Adam Link, also a remark- 
able man. He was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, where he owned six 
hundred acres of land on the present site of the city of Wheeling. Pie was a 
veteran of the Revolutionary war. Plis father was killed by the Indians dur- 
ing the early days. Being surrounded by Indians, he and a friend bargained 
for their lives, and, as the Indians promised safety, they came out, only to be 
tomahawked by the savages, who destroyed everything they could find, tore 
open feather beds to see the feathers fly, killed the cattle and cut up the leather 
in the tan yards. Adam Link lived over a century, dying in 1864, at the 
advanced age of one hundred and two years, nine months and twenty-seven, 
days. 

The maternal great-grandparents of our subject were also well-known: 
people, John Stough being a Lutheran minister, who first married Mary Hag- 
myer, and later Catherine Troutman. The great-grandfather, Thomas Charl- 
ton, was of English birth, and married Elizabeth Mercer. John G. Stough,. 
the maternal grandfather, was a native of Perry count)'', Pennsylvania, and 
came tO' Crawford county shortly after his marriage to Sarah Charlton, a native 
of Washington county, Maryland. Air. Stough settled on the farm now 
owned by the Widow Moderwell, entering one hundred and sixty acres of 
forest land, built him a log cabin in the forest and hung up a quilt for shelter 
in place of a door. When meat was wanted for the larder he took his gun, 
stepped a few paces away from his home and soon shot a deer, so plentiful 
were they at that time. His family went through every phase of pioneer life, 
but in this wilderness he reared a fine family and remained until advanced in 
years, when he moved to Vernon township and died there at the age of eightv- 

38 



6SS CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

four years. Both he and wife had been life-long members of the Lutheran 
church. 

Joseph Markley, the father of our subject, was born on the old Horatio 
Markley homestead, on December 4, 1824. and grew up at home, early doing 
his part of work on the farm. His education was necessarily limited, but 
through life he was a great reader and in time became self-educated and was 
thoroughly informed concerning the public events of the day. His marriage 
was to Elizabeth Stough, in Liberty township, who was born on October 21, 
J 827, and she was a daughter of John G. and Sarah (Charlton) Stough. 
After his marriage he located on seventy-two acres of land one and one-half 
miles north of the Markley homestead and during the second year realized 
enough from the sugar maples on the farm to pay for it. Here Air. Alarkley 
resided until his death, in May, 1858. at the age of thirty-three. His life had 
been ;* busy one and he had succeeded well. He was very active in the affairs of 
the English Lutheran church, and was a member of the Republican part)'. 
\fter the death of Mr. Markley his widow married Peter Rutan and now re- 
sides in this township. One daughter was born of this marriage: Anna, the 
wife of Oliver Wheaton, a pattern maker of Mansfield. 

Horatio \Y. Markley, the bearer of an honored name, was reared on the 
home farm and acquired hut a limited education. He was married on Feb- 
ruary 23, 1871, to Miss Maria C. Rader, who was bora in Northampton 
county, Pennsylvania, and was a daughter of Aaron and Sabina (Bower; 
Rader, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. The} - came to Crawford 
county previous to 1850. After his marriage our subject and wife went to 
Columbiana county and located on a farm belonging to Michael Charlton, but 
two years later the}" returned to Crawford county and purchased a farm of 
seventy-two acres two miles north of Sulphur Springs, where the family re- 
sided for four years. Then Air. Markley sold that and bought eighty acres 
in Cranberry township, on which farm he remained for three years, later selling 
that also. For the following nineteen years he successfully operated a farm of 
one hundred and sixty acres belonging to his sister-in-law. Airs. Julia Rader. 
In 1884 he bought forty acres located one-fourth mile south of his present 
home, and this land he retained four years and then exchanged it for the farm 
he now occupies. This consists of sixty-two and one-half acres and upon it 
he has erected a most desirable set of buildings, modern in construction and 
attractive in appearance. He removed to this place in 1899. 

Air. Markley has been very successful during these years of industry, has 
become well known and esteemed in the county and has reared a most estimable 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 689 

family, viz.: Franklin A., city solicitor for the B. & O. Railroad at Toledo, 
Ohio; Hattie E., a millinery trimmer at Toledo; Bert \Y., deceased; Esther 
B. and Ross \Y., both at home. In politics our subject has always been a 
stanch Republican, and fraternally he is connected with Liberty Lodge. No. 
845. K. of H. His wife is a member of the L. O. T. M. and of the Lutheran 
church. He is one of the progressive and energetic men whose example in a 
community is for its benefit, and all through Crawford county live those who 
most hisrhlv esteem Horatio YV. Markley. 



l S J 



ELIJAH LYONS. 

Elijah Lyons, who is engaged in the cultivation of a good farm in Cran- 
berry township, has always resided in Crawford county, his birth having oc- 
curred in the township which is still his home, on the 22d of May. 1850, his 
parents being Jacob and Susan (Robison) Lyons. The father was born in 
Perry county, Pennsylvania, in 1822, and was a son of Adam and Barbara 
Lyons, who came to Ohio about 1830, settling in Richland county, near Shelby, 
where his father leased a tract of land for several years. He was then in 
limited financial circumstances and on the expiration of his lease he came to 
Crawford county, residing in Cranberry township up to the time of his death. 
Adam Lyons' children were George, John B., Jacob and Susan. The father 
of our subject was fourteen years of age when he came to Ohio, and eight 
vears later he purchased eighty acres of the farm upon which his son Elijah 
now resides. Soon afterward he further completed his arrangements for a 
home of his own by his marriage to Miss Susan Robison, who was born in 
Perry counv. Pennsylvania, a daughter of William and Christina ( Zeigler) 
Robison, who came to Ohio about the same time the Lyons family removed to 
this state. They took up their abode in what is now Auburn township, Craw- 
for countv. then a part of Richland county, and later removed to Cranberry 
township, spending their last days upon the farm where Mr. French now re- 
sides. George Robison, an uncle of Mrs. Lyons, was an officer in the war of 
1 81 2, and for many years thereafter was a leading figure in military circles. 
Two of her brothers, William C. and Thomas Henry, were loyal supporters of 
the Union cause during the Civil war. and the latter died near Arkansas Post 
while in the army. 

At the time of their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Lyons located on the farm 
which he had purchased and later he added to this a tract of ten acres. To the 
further development and improvement of his property he devoted his energies 



690 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

until his death. His study of political issues led him to give his support to the 
Democracy, but he was never an office seeker. In early life he held member- 
ship in the Presbyterian church, but hi later years, as there was no church of 
that denomination in the neighborhood, he united with the Methodist Episco- 
pal church. He was an energetic and persevering man and bravely faced the 
hardships of frontier life. He secured school land covered with a dense forest, 
built a cabin, cleared away the trees and in due course of time had a comfortable 
home for his family. He died in 1891, and his wife passed away in 1894. 
She, too, was a loyal and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. 
Four children were born unto them, but only two are now living, the sister of 
our subject being Matilda, widow of Thomas Baer, of New Washington. 

Elijah Lyons enjoyed the sports in which boys of the period usually in- 
dulged, pursued his education in the district schools and assisted in the work 
of the home farm. His earl}- educational advantages, however, were supple- 
mented by study in the Plymouth high school, in the Delaware University and 
in a Presbyterian seminary at Lexington, Ohio. Prior to his seventeenth year 
he began teaching and for nine terms followed that profession through the 
winter months. In the spring he would then attend school in order to perfect 
his own education and in the summer he assisted in the work of the home farm. 
In the fall after he had attained his majority he went to La Salle county, 
Illinois, where he remained for eighteen months, after which he engaged in 
teaching school for one term and also worked on a farm. He then took charge 
of the home farm, operating" it on the shares up to the time of his marriage. 

In 1880 Mr. Lyons was joined in wedlock to Miss Susan J. Holtz, of 
Huron county, and then took his bride to Van Wert county, Ohio, settling on 
forty acres of land which he had purchased only a short time previous. 
Twenty-two months later his wife died, and after bringing the remains to 
Huron county for interment he returned to Van Wert count}-, disposed of his 
farm and chattel property and then again went to his old home. In the fol- 
lowing autumn he purchased a farm of fifty acres, now owned by Albert Nye.. 
It was then all covered with underbrush, but with characteristic energy he be- 
gan to prepare it for the plow, and in due course of time abundant harvests 
rewarded his labors. He was again married, February 14, 1886, his second 
union being with Miss Susannah Smith, a native of Crawford county and a 
daughter of Jesse and Eva ( Shoup) Smith. Their union was blessed with 
two children. Clarence E. and Wilbert W., but the latter is now deceased. 

After his second marriage Mr. Lyons erected a residence upon his farm 
and there made his home until 1892. In the year previous his father had died 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 691 

•and Mr. Lyons then traded his farm to his sister for her share in the old home 
place and also handsomely provided for his mother. He is now the owner of 
the old home farm, — a valuable and desirahle property, attractive in appearance 
by reason of the excellent buildings and richly cultivated fields. He usually 
votes the Republican ticket, but is not strongly partisan, believing, however, in 
clean politics and the support of men who will secure purity in government. 
His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, to the support of 
which he contributes, also attending its services. He belongs to Hyperion 
Lodge, No. 651, K. P., and has passed all the chairs. As a member of the 
school board he has manifested his friendship fur the cause of education and 
as a citizen he is public-spirited, heartily endorsing all movements for the 
general good. 

EZEK1EL C. McNUTT. 

One of the well-known and highly esteemed residents of Auburn township, 
Crawford county, Ohio, is Ezekiel C. McNutt, who is a representative of one 
of the old pioneer settlers of this couny. The birth of Ezekiel McNutt, who is 
the subject of this biography, was on June 2, 1839, in Columbiana county, 
Ohio, and he was the son of Abraham and Mary J. (Craton) McNutt, and he 
was one of seven children born to them, the five surviving members of the 
family being : Alexander, a resident of Bucyrus ; Abraham, a resident of Lib- 
erty township, in this county; Mary J., the wife of Aaron Darr, of Sulphur 
Springs; Rachael, the wife of Aaron Park, of Gabon, Ohio; and Ezekiel C, 
the subject of this sketch. 

Abraham McNutt was born in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, in 181 2, 
and grew to manhood on his father's farm, at the age of eighteen leaving the 
parental roof for the town of Petersburg, where he learned the trade of tanner 
and engaged in that business until 1840, at which time he became a resident of 
Crawford county, Ohio. Here he purchased a farm of one hundred and 
twenty-seven acres of land in Liberty township, near the Cranberry township 
line, and settled in a small log house in the woods, this cabin having been 
erected by the original settler. The land had not been either cleared or im- 
proved, and Mr. McNutt immediately engaged in the labor of preparing the 
land lor cultivation. He built a comfortable hewed-log cabin, which in time 
gave place to a substantial brick residence that was his home until his 
death, which occurred in 1874, when he was sixty-two years of age. In poli- 
tics Mr. McNutt was a stanch Whig, but later became identified with the 



692 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Republican party. He was a man noted for his sound judgment and deep con- 
viction, but was of that temper that enabled him to live through the trying- 
times of the Civil war in perfect amity with his neighbors, although he w.as 
surrounded by those of differing political opinion. So well was he known 
and so highly esteemed that his views were never questioned. Mr. McNutt 
had been reared in the faith of the Methodist church, but did not formally con- 
nect himself with any religious body, although he was a God-fearing man and 
a regular attendant upon church services. 

F.zekiel C. McNutt was the youngest son of the family and was afforded 
good educational advantages. At the age of twenty-one he began to teach 
the district school during the winter season and spent the summer on the farm, 
and this quiet, useful life was suddenly changed by his enlistment for service 
in the Union army. On August I, 1864, he became a member of Company 
G, Twenty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under the command of General 
Hatch. The latter had charge of about ten thousand men on the coast of 
South Carolina, where they were stationed until April, 1865, guarding Con- 
federate prisoners. In April of that year our subject's regiment started for 
Savannah and took part in the engagement at Honey Hill and Red Hill, and 
also some sharp skirmishes, receiving his honorable discharge at Charleston, 
South Carolina, on Jul}- 15. 1865. 

After his war experience our subject returned home and resumed his old 
life, teaching and farming, as previously, continuing until 1872, at which time 
he and his brother-in-law erected a building in New Washington, where they 
opened up a grocery and provision store. For three years our subject was 
connected with this business, having the entire management of it, remaining 
one year after his marriage. 

Mr. McNutt was married en July 7, 1875, to Miss Mary J. McKee. who 
was born in Waynesburg, Auburn township, and she was the daughter of 
James McKee, of Scotch-Irish extraction, who was born in Perry county, 
Pennsylvania. Mr. McKee came to Crawford county about 1833 and settled 
in Auburn township, spending his life in this and Cranberry township. One 
year after marriage Mr. McNutt, in 1876, removed to the farm of his father- 
in-law, in Cranberry township, the latter desiring the presence of his daughter, 
her mother having died in April of that year. For seven years our subject 
farmed on shares for his father-in-law, and he made his home with our sub- 
ject's family, where he received devoted, filial care. In 1883 Mr. McNutt re- 
moved to a farm of forty acres in Cranberry township, which he purchased 
some time prior to this date, and remained on this tract for four years, at the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 693 

end of that time selling it and purchasing forty-one acres just across the line, 
in Auburn township, remaining here until 1895, when he also sold that farm 
advantageously and removed to his present one of eighty acres. This is hue 
farm land, and here our subject and family enjoy all the comforts of country 
life. Two of their three children survive, these being: Edna E., who mar- 
ried Levi Lash, in this township; and James Wesley, who was horn on De- 
cember 12, 1886, hence is only fourteen years of age. but is remarkable for 
intellectual gifts, as he has successfully passed the Boxwell examination and 
is a vouth of great promise. Frederick E., the second child, has passed away. 
In politics Mr. McNutt, like his honored father, is identified with the Re- 
publican partv. Both he and wife were reared in the Methodist church, but 
as there is no' organization of that kind here they attend and support the Lu- 
theran church, where they are highly valued. 

J. J. GEARHART. 

Too much cannot be said in favor of that excellent German stock whicii 
has produced some of our best citizenship in all parts of America. Industry, 
honesty and frugality are leading traits in the German character and they are 
qualities which make for success anywhere. 

Tacob Gearhart was a pioneer in Jefferson township, Crawford county, 
Ohio", in 1834. He was born November 30, 1813. in Elshoff, Rhine province, 
district of Wettinstein, Germany. He was reared and educated and learned 
the wagonmaker's trade in his native land. April 13, the year mentioned, 
with his brother George, he came to America in a sailing vessel, which con- 
sumed seven weeks in making the voyage, landing at the American port June 
4. He located in Jefferson township, where he entered eighty acres of govern- 
ment land, on which he erected a log cabin and on which he lived a bachelor 
life for about a year, when he married an old German sweetheart who had come 
out to this country. Jacob Gearhart and Mary Elizabeth Baetzel were mar- 
ried September 8, "1834, in Crawford county, and have had children as follows : 
J. T., who was born in Jefferson township, February 11, 1837; Mary, who be- 
came the wife of John Heitzman, who is now a retired farmer living at 294 
Evans street. Bucyrus, Ohio: Lewis and Adam, who are dead: Lena, who is 
the wife of Henry Edler, of Crestline, Ohio: Emanuel, who lives on his father's 
old home farm ; and Joseph, who died young. 

Jacoh Gearhart lived at his place of original settlement in Jefferson town- 
ship the remainder of his life except during two years. He cleared and im- 



694 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

proved the farm and established a brewery on it, which he managed success- 
fully for several years. From time to time he was engaged in butchering. 
He was a citizen of influence and a member of the German Reformed church. 
He died September 4, 1889, aged seventy-five years, nine months and five days. 

J. J. Gearhart was reared on his father's farm and assisted him in his 
various enterprises, and as opportunity afforded attended school in a log school 
house near his home. In the winter months the big boys took turns at chopping 
wood with which to keep the school-room warm. In 1859 he married Ja- 
cobina Iseman, and they had eight children, concerning whom we make the 
following observations : Henry F. lives in Jefferson township. Clara A. is 
the wife of Calvin Knell, of Jefferson township. Charles F. lives at Leesville, 
Ohio. Xettie is the wife of John Kiebler, of Jefferson township. Lena E. is 
the wife of Samuel Kiebler and they have a home with her father. Lewis is 
dead. Adolphus and Edward died in infancy. 

Soon after his marriage Mr. Gearhart removed to his present farm of 
eighty acres, eighteen acres of which was improved, and for two years he lived 
in the little log cabin which stood on the place and which was superseded by a 
more modern residence. He now owns one hundred and ninety-seven acres 
of land and is a progressive and successful general farmer and stock-raiser. 
He and his family are members of the Lutheran church and he has always been 
liberal in his contributions toward its support. Politically he is of the Demo- 
cratic faith, and his public spirit has led him to favor every movement for the 
general good of the people of his township and county. He has many times 
served on juries and he is the present incumbent of the office of road commis- 
sioner of Jefferson township. 

ROBERT GREGG. 

That sensible, practical, industrious and successful Pennsylvania stock 
which has been a factor in the development of the civilization of nearly every 
section of our country has been especiallv potent in Ohio, and among its best- 
known representatives in Crawford county is Robert Gregg, of Texas township. 

Robert Gregg was born on the old Gregg homestead in the township 
above mentioned, September 23, 1839, a son of William Gregg, who was born 
in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1802, and was brought by his father, 
'Andrew Gregg, to Jefferson county, Ohio, in 1804. There Robert Gregg's 
grandfather acquired government land and improved a farm on which his son 
William was brought up to manhood, attending such schools as were then 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 695 

available to him in that then new country and doing his part in the work of 
clearing wild land and putting it under cultivation. He married Margaret 
Smith and they had ten children. Of these Catharine Achsah and Lewis died 
young. John lives in Sycamore township, Wyandot county, Ohio. Nancy 
married James McClung and lives in Iowa. James is dead. Robert was the 
next in order of birth. William S. and Andrew are dead, and Minerva E., 
the youngest, married George Tuttle and lives in Crawford county. Robert, 
John and William S. all served their country as soldiers in the Civil war. 
The parents of these children went to Crawford county in 1828 and settled in 
Texas township, where the father entered a claim of two hundred and forty 
acres of government land, on which he built a two-room house of round logs. 
He made the journey to the county with an ox-team and settled in the midst of 
a dense wilderness, in which game was plentiful and Indians were often seen, 
and he was so handy with his rifle that he soon achieved a reputation as an 
expert squirrel hunter. He was prominent in local affairs, and helped lay out 
roads and organize school districts, and in a general way aided in putting the 
wheels of civilization in motion. He gradually improved his farm in every way 
and died there in April, 1879. His wife died about 1854. They were mem- 
bers of the Methodist church, in which to the end of his days Mr. Gregg was 
an active worker. 

Robert Gregg was brought up to farm life, was educated in the common 
^schools and lived with his father until the spring of 1861, when he went to 
Minnesota, and where a few months later he enlisted as a private in Company 
G, First Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, to serve for three years or 
during the war. After the affair at Bull Run, where he had his first experi- 
ence of actual warfare, he went to Alexandria, Virginia, and thence to Wash- 
ington, D. C, and not long afterward he was sent to a hospital at Georgetown, 
and after four weeks there he was sent to another hospital at Annapolis, Mary- 
land, where after nine weeks he was appointed to the hospital staff, on which 
he served two years. In the fall of 1863 he rejoined his regiment in Virginia 
and served in the Army of the Potomac until honorably discharged from the 
service in April, 1864. 

Returning to Crawford county, Mr. Gregg farmed with his father for 
one year and then removed to the place on which he now lives. His home 
farm consists of one hundred and twenty acres and he owns another farm of 
the same size, and he is a very successful general farmer and stock-raiser. 
He is a prominent Republican and has served his fellow citizens as township 
trustee for two years. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. 



696 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

In 1864 ' ie married Miss Eliza J. Magoffin, who has borne him seven children, 
the eldest of whom, Clarence E., is dead, and the others are named, respect- 
ively. Layton H., Willis C, Addie, Blanche, Albert C. and Walter B. Mr. 
Gregg is a man of much public spirit, who, having a vivid recollection of the 
old subscription schools taught in log school houses by incompetent teachers, 
has a!! his life done everything in his power to advance the cause of education 
in his township and who has been ready at all times to assist to the extent of 
his ability all movements which in his good judgment have promised to benefit 
his fellow citizens. 

AARON CARRICK. 

The prominent citizen of Chatfield township, Crawford county, Ohio, 
whose name is above is deserving of the honor which by common consent is 
accorded to veterans of the Civil war. He was born in Huron county, Ohio, 
June 2~ , 1836, the third child of Joseph and Frederica ( Harklerhodis) Car- 
rick, natives of Pennsylvania. His father was born July 16. 1808. his mother 
September 8, 1809, in Bedford county, and they were married in Stark county, 
Ohio, April 6, 1829, and some time afterward removed to Columbiana county, 
this state. They had children named Laura A., William, Aaron and Sarah. 
William lives in Tiffin, Seneca county, Ohio. Sarah married R. Piatt, of 
Michigan. 

The Carrick family located in Chatfield township. Crawford county, in 
184^), on the farm now owned by the subject of this sketch. Joseph Carrick 
had been a carpenter by occupation, but he then bought one hundred and five 
acres of land and devoted himself to farming, in which he was successful until 
his death, which occurred November 12, 1877. He left a 'record as a worthy 
and respected citizen of much enterprise and public spirit, an honest man, who 
loved his wife, his children and his neighbors. 

Aaron Carrick passed his boyhood in attending school and in work on 
the I arm. In August, 1862, when civil war was rife in our land and brave and 
stalwart men were needed to crush the spirit of rebellion, he responded to the 
nation's call and for three years nobly did a soldier's duty in defense of the 
starry banner. His regiment was the One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio 
Volunteer Infantry and was included in the Army of the Potomac. He par- 
ticipated in the battles of Winchester. Newmarket, Fisher's Hill, Staunton, 
Perryville, Lynchburg, Richmond and Snicker Gap. At Perryville he drove 
an ambulance in which wounded soldiers were conveyed to Harper's Ferry, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 697 

and while in that service was captured by the Confederate general, Mosby, 
under the following interesting" circumstances : While returning from Harper's 
Ferry and driving through a small village young Carrick noticed a fine horse 
that was tied to a hitching-post at the side of the street, and in a laughing way 
he said to the man driving the ambulance next behind his : "There's Mosby's 
horse. I wonder where he is?" Not long after the ambulance train had 
passed through the village the owner of the horse appeared on the scene, and, 
joining the officers in command of the party, rode with them nearly ten miles, 
when, in a strip of woods, Mosby's men dashed down upon them and captured 
the train and its escort. Mr. Carrick soon escaped, however, and, dodging 
through the woods, gained a cornfield, where he hid for some time. That 
night he slept under a pile of rails and early in the morning he set out for the 
Union lines. Some negroes living in a cabin gave him some cornbread for 
breakfast, for which he was especially grateful, considering that they had no 
other food in the house. When he rejoined his command he found that a 
detachment of Union troops had during the night, after a brisk skirmish, re- 
captured the entire ambulance train. He served until honorably discharged 
from the service in 1865, and then returned to Ohio and engaged in farming. 
In 1868 Mr. Carrick married Lucy Ann Fike, a native of Venice township, 
Seneca county, and a daughter of Peter Fike, and she has borne him three 
children, only one of whom, their son, Jacob A. Carrick, survives.. Mr. Car- 
rick is a man of commendable public spirit, who to the extent of his ability 
aids eveiw movement having for its object the general good, and he is known 
as a friend of education, a liberal supporter of religious worship and an advo- 
cate of good roads. 

DANIEL GREEN. 

For twenty years Daniel Green has resided upon the farm which is now 
his home. The place comprises one hundred and twelve acres of land in Chat- 
field township, and is highly cultivated, bringing to him a good return for his 
labor. Throughout his entire life he has been connected with agricultural 
pursuits. He was born upon his father's farm in Liberty township, Crawford 
county, June 25, 1846, and when eighteen years of age came to Chatfield town- 
ship. He entered upon an independent business career when twenty-seven 
years of age, at which time he purchased his present farm, but he continued 
to live at home until his marriage, which occurred in 1877, Miss Elizabeth 
Heiby becoming his wife. Their union has been blessed with six children :. 



6gi5 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Adam, Louisa, Matilda, William, Harrison and Emma, and the family circle 
yet remains unbroken by the hand of death. 

At the time of his marriage Mr. Green purchased a farm in Chatfield town- 
ship, upon which he resided for about four years, when, in 1881, he purchased 
his present farm. He owns altogether one hundred and fifty-two acres of rich 
land, of which one hundred and twelve acres is comprised within the home 
place. He carries on general farming and stock-raising and has good grades 
of cattle, horses and hogs upon his place, while the cultivation which he be- 
stows upon his fields leads them to return to him excellent crops. Thus he 
adds continually to his capital. He belongs to the Lutheran church, and in 
his political views he is a Democrat, voting with that party but never seeking 
office, preferring to give his time and energies to his farming operation, be- 
lieving such labor to be a more sure source of income. 

WILLIAM BENDER. 

There are few men whose lives are crowned with the honor and respect 
which is universally accorded to William Bender, but through many years' con- 
nection with Crawford county's history his has been an unblemished character. 
With him success in life has been reached by his sterling qualities of mind and 
a heart true to every manly principle. He has never deviated from what his 
judgment would indicate to be right and honorable between his fellow men 
and himself, has never swerved from the path of duty, and now, after a long 
and useful career, he can look back over the past with pride and enjoy the re- 
maining years of his earthly pilgrimage with a consciousness of having gained 
lor himself by his honorable, straightforward career the confidence and respect 
of the entire communitv in which he lives. 

A native son of the Buckeye state, he was born in Richland county, Ohio, 
on the 26th of March, 1850, a son of Jacob and Catherine (Hoffman) Bender. 
In his youth he enjoyed only the educational privileges afforded by the pioneer 
log school houses of his day. but in later life he greatly added to his knowledge 
by reading, study and practical experience, thus becoming a well-informed 
man. After his marriage he located on eighty acres of his present home farm, 
then the property of his father-in-law, which he rented for eleven years, and 
during that time he also dealt quite extensively in stock, thus greatly augment- 
ing his income. In 1882 he purchased one hundred and four acres adjoining 
his present farm on the east, and in 1885 he purchased of his father-in-law his 
present homestead, thus making the home farm to consist of one hundred and 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 699. 

eighty-four acres. He also owns three other tracts of land, aggregating one 
hundred and fifty acres, all of which is located in Auburn township with the 
exception of fifteen acres in Vernon township. Mr. Bender has been very suc- 
cessful in his farming and stock-raising interests, and he is to-day accounted 
one of the substantial and leading citizens of his locality. During his many 
years of labor he secured a competence sufficient to enable him to< lay aside the 
active cares of a business life and to rest in the enjoyment of the fruits of his 
former toil. In 1889 he erected a handsome and commodious farm residence, 
and in the following year he rebuilt his barn, his place being now supplied with 
all the accessories and conveniences known to the model farm. 

On the 3d of September, 1873, Mr. Bender was united in marriage with 
Miss Cornelia Sawyer, a daughter of Albanus Sawyer. Three children have 
graced the marriage of our subject and wife, namely: Rilla May, the wife of. 
John W. Hutt, of Richland county ; Minnie Luella, who is now sixteen years of 
age ; and Ruth lone, a little lady of eight years. Mr. Bender gives his political 
support to the Democracy, and although he has never been an aspirant for po- 
litical honors he has served for many years as supervisor of his district, dis- 
charging- the duties of that position to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. 
He is not connected by membership with any religious denomination, but he has 
been a liberal contributor of both time and means to the Lutheran church, hav- 
ing assisted materially in the erection of the house of worship in Tiro. He gen- 
erously co-operates with all movements or measures intended for the better- 
ment of humanity. No trust reposed in him has ever been betrayed, and in 
every relation of life he is true to duty and to the right, — a loyal and patriotic 
citizen. 

HIRAM SHALTER. 

The name of Shalter has been well known in Crawford county, Ohio, since 
John Shalter settled there in 1832, taking up one hundred and sixty acres of 
government land in Lykens township. Hiram Shalter, John Shalter's eldest 
son, is a prominent farmer in Texas township, and was born on his father's 
homestead in Lykens township, [March 23, 1834. 

John Shalter, of whom a brief biographical sketch appears elsewhere in 
this work, married Elizabeth Albaugh, of Jefferson county, Ohio, who bore 
him thirteen children. The first born of these, Hiram, was reared on his fa- 
ther's farm, in the work of which he assisted his father until he was twenty- 
four years of age. He then removed to Huron county, Ohio, where he bought 



700 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

eighty acres of wood land and lived a year and a half. Disposing of his inter- 
ests there he moved to Texas township, Crawford county, where he bought 
of his father-in-law his present home farm, of which he has cleared thirty 
acres, which he devotes to general farming and stock-raising. He now owns 
altogether one hundred and sixty acres of land. 

When he was twenty-four years old Mr. Shalter married Miss Mary Clark, 
who has borne him five children. Their son Robert is dead. Their son Frank 
lives at Sycamore, Ohio. Their daughter Laura is the wife of Charles Oder. 
Their son George is dead, as is also their daughter Minnie. In politics Mr. 
Shalter is a stanch Republican, but he has never sought nor consented to> hold 
office. He and his wife are consistent members of the Baptist church. He is 
a man of much public spirit who takes a deep interest in the cause of educa- 
tion and has done whatever he has been able to do to improve the common 
schools of his neighborhod. In his youth he enjoyed few educational advan- 
tages, and he is largely self-educated. The first school of which he has any 
recollection was taught at Bulgo, as the original settlement of Lykens was 
called, in a little log building with no floor, all the appointments of which were 
of the crudest description, and on account of sickness only one day of school- 
ing was available to him that summer. He next attended school in another log 
school house which was not much of an improvement on the one just referred 
to, and the information imparted in which was scant and somewhat vague in 
character. The following items concerning his brothers and sisters will be 
found interesting. His sister Delia was formerly a successful teacher. For 
several years she and her sisters Nancy and Lizzie have owned millinery stores 
at Bloomville and at other points in Ohio. His brothers Levi and David and 
his sisters Mary A., Catharine, Emma and Susanna are dead. His sister Sa- 
loma married Daniel Savage. His brother John lives in Putnam county, Ohio, 
his brother Abraham in Seneca county, and D. Savage lives at Cripple 
Creek, Colorado. 

CHARLES TOBIX. 

Upon the farm where he now resides Charles Tobin first opened his eves 
to the light of day on the 20th of January. 1855. He is now the only sur- 
vivor of the three children born unto William J. and Margery (Stewart) 
Tobin. The family is of Irish lineage, and the father of our subject was 
born in the town of Letter Kenny, in County Donegal, Ireland, about 1820. 
His parents died within one week of typhoid fever, and he was thus left an 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 701 

orphan at the age of eight years. He then became an inmate of the home of 
an uncle, Mr. John Gibson, with whom he remained until twenty years of age. 
Attracted by the opportunities afforded in the land of the free, he made his way 
to the new world in 1840, landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after a voy- 
age of four weeks upon the sailing vessel ''The Lazy Hulk," so> named because 
of her slowness in travel. When he reached the shores of the new world Mr. 
Tobin had but one English guinea, and this he changed into United States 
money, receiving four dollars and eighty-four cents. For ten days he re- 
mained in Philadelphia and then went up the Delaware river about thirty miles, 
where he secured employment as a farm hand, working in that capacity until 
the spring of 1841 and during the winter attended school. He then came to 
Ohio by way of the Ohio river to Pittsburg and by stage to Richland county, 
locating in Rome, where Ins uncle. Dr. Gustavus Allen, then resided. Our 
subject worked upon his uncle's farm during the summer months and in the 
winter again took up his educational work in the district schools of the neigh- 
borhood. In the spring of 1853 ne entered upon an apprenticeship to the car- 
penter's trade under a Mr. Haymaker, of Franklin township, with whom he 
remained for two years. He afterward went to Mansfield, where he was em- 
ployed at his trade for a similar period during the fall and winter months, 
while in the summer he worked at farm labor. About 1845 he entered the 
employ of a Mr. Barnett, a wagon-maker of Franklin township, in whose ser- 
vice he continued for two winters. He then obtained work with Charles Stewart 
as a farm hand, and in 1847 he was united in marriage to his employer's daugh- 
ter, Miss Margorie Stewart, who was born in Franklin township, Richland 
county. Her mother was Airs. Catherine ( Sweeney) Stewart, and both of 
her parents were natives of County Donegal, Ireland. Immediately after their 
marriage they came to the United States and for a short period were residents 
of Pennsylvania, coming thence to Ohio. The father entered land on Black 
Fork, in Franklin township, Richland county, being one of the first settlers in 
this portion of the state. The Indians were yet numerous and the country was 
wild and unimproved. 

After his marriage William J. Tobin remained upon his father-in-law's 
farm as a farm hand for three years, in connection with his brother-in-law. 
In the spring of 1850 he came with his young wife and one child to his present 
home, having purchased eighty acres of land during the previous winter. 
This was practically virgin forest, for only a small patch of four acres had been 
cleared, and upon it a log cabin had been erected. This little pioneer home 
furnished shelter for the Tobin family until the spring of 1861, when the resi- 



7 o2 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

dence in which our subject is now located was erected. In the following 
autumn he built a substantial bank barn, and in the course of time made his 
farm one of the best improved country seats in this portion of the state, re- 
claiming the land from the forest and the swamps and transforming it into 
richly cultivated fields, whose golden harvests returned to him a gratifying 
income each year. During the '50s Mr. Tobin also purchased an additional 
tract of forty-one acres a quarter of a mile west and a quarter of a mile south 
of his home. He is a stanch Democrat, but the honors and emoluments of 
office have not had attraction for him, as he has preferred to devote his energies 
to his farming interests. Of the Presbyterian church he is a consistent mem- 
ber, and during the past quarter of a century has faithfully served as one of its 
elders. Although he has traveled life's journey for more than eighty years he 
is yet in possession of all his faculties and enjoyed remarkably good health until 
the past winter, when his constitution w ? as somewhat undermined by la grippe. 
Throughout the community in which he has resided he is venerated and re- 
spected and enjoys the warm friendship of young and old, rich and poor. 
His wife passed away in July, 1883, when fifty-five years of age. 

Charles Tobin spent the days of his boyhood in the usual manner of farmer 
lads of that period. In the winter months he carried his text-books to the 
nearest school and there mastered the common branches of English learning. 
He worked upon his father's farm as health and strength would permit, and 
in the winter of 1889-90 he went to southern California for the purpose of 
recuperating his health. The trip proved quite beneficial and in the spring he 
returned home. In the same year he was united in marriage to Miss Chloris 
Beattie Turrittin, a native of Le Seuer county, Minnesota, and a daughter of 
Thomas and Elizabeth (Kendall) Turrittin. Her father was born in County 
Donegal, Ireland, and her mother was a native of Maine. The marriage of 
Mr. and Mrs. Tobin has been blessed with two children, but the son died in 
infancy. The daughter, Margie Elizabeth, was born May 6, 1894. 

In the spring following his marriage Mr. Tobin assumed the manage- 
ment of the home farm, which he has since operated on the shares. He has 
placed the land under a high state of cultivation, and the neat and thrifty ap- 
pearance of the place indicates his careful supervision. In politics he is quite 
prominent in Democratic circles, and in 1892 was appointed township trustee 
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John Bland. In the spring of 1893 
he was regularly elected to the office, and in 1896 was re-elected, so that he has 
served for more than two terms. He and his wife are members of the Presby- 
terian church, and also belong to Cranberry Grange, No. 1435, Patrons of 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 703 

Husbandry. Mr. Tobin is accounted one of the progressive agriculturists of 
his community. His entire life has been passed within the borders of Craw- 
ford county, and the fact that many of his wannest friends are numbered 
among those who have known him from childhood is an indication of his up- 
right and straightforward career. 

JOHN HILBORN. 

John Hilborn, one of the highly esteemed citizens of Crawford county,. 
Ohio, now engaged in the coal and draying business in the town of Tiro, was 
born in Liberty township, in this county, on November 16, 1838. He was a 
son of Isaac and Nancy (George) Hilborn. and was a member of a family of 
nine children, the two survivors being the subject of this sketch and his 
brother Samuel, who now resides on the old home farm in Auburn township. 

Our subject grew to manhood on the home farm, which is located within 
one mile of his present home in Tiro. He received an excellent common- 
school education, and, as his father was growing old and he was the youngest 
son, he remained under the parental roof. When he was twenty-two years of 
age his father gave him forty acres of timber land and he went to work clearing 
this property. Into his peaceful life, as into that of many another farmer boy, 
sounded the call to arms in defense of his country, and our subject was quick 
to respond. On September 7, 1861, he enlisted for service in the Union army, 
entering Company I, Fifteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and soon they were 
sent from Mansfield to Camp Dennison to be trained in the arts of war. 
Shortly after, our subject and his companions were sent to< Covington, Ken- 
tucky, and camped there for a short time, going then to Camp Nevin, where 
they spent the greater part of the winter. "While here our subject was at- 
tacked with a serious illness which necessitated a season in the hospital, and a 
month, later he obtained a furlough for twenty-six days' leave, on condition 
that some one would take charge of him. A brother-in-law came for him and 
brought him home. One week after his return he broke out with small-pox, 
but this did not prevent his reporting for duty on the day before the expiration 
of his furlough. However, under the circumstances his services were not 
needed in camp and he was sent back home with orders to remain there until 
he was fit for duty. About ten days later lie again reported, but was then sent 
to what was known as Hospital No. 4, but his condition was such that he could 
not be received there and he was sent to Park Barracks, and here he was later 
detailed as assistant waiter in the officers' mess. 
39 



;o4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Some three weeks later our subject was permitted to join his regiment, 
which was but one day's march from Corinth, and the battle at Pittsburg Land- 
ing had been fought but a few days previously. Our subject crossed the field 
of carnage on his way to join his regiment, and soon after reaching it his 
company was detailed to guard a bridge near Huntsville. Here the regiment 
threw up breastworks and then returned to Louisville with the idea of pre- 
venting the Confederate General Bragg from crossing the river. A few weeks 
later they pursued General Bragg and broke up his plans in that locality. Our 
subject took part in the greater number of the battles of the Army of the Cum- 
berland. In the one-hundred-day fight in the march from Chattanooga to 
Atlanta our subject was wounded at Pumpkin Vine creek, suffering both in 
the face and also in the left hand, but he declined to leave his company, although 
for several days he was totally unable to handle his gun. 

Mr. Hilborn had his endurance tried again the first clay following his again 
accepting" his gun, as he was then severely wounded. He was on the picket 
line at what was known as Picket's Mills or New Hope church, and found it 
necessary to shoot an intruder, and before he had an opportunity to load his 
gun a party of the enemy came upon him, demanding his surrender, but he 
declined to do that and ran as fast as he could toward the camp, reaching there 
alive but with two bullets in his body. He was then sent to the division hos- 
pital, where he endured agonies from the operations necessary, and three weeks 
later was removed to Chattanooga, and four weeks later was passed on to the 
hospital in Nashville. Four weeks after he was sent home on a furlough and 
remained for twenty days. Returning to his company, our subject found it 
at Atlanta, Georgia, but before he reached there he had an encounter with 
Confederate scouts which almost prevented this gallant and faithful soldier 
from giving more service to his country. 

At Atlanta the Fourth Army Corps and the Twenty-third Army Corps 
were left to pursue General Hood. Our subject's command belonged to the 
former, and they pressed on to Nashville and later the country heard of the 
fierce battle of Franklin, and later the battle of Nashville. Our subject re- 
ceived his honorable and well-earned discharge on December 24, 1865, after 
having been five months in camp in Texas. 

After Mr. Hilborn' s return from the army he resumed farming, and gn 
July to, 1866, he was married to Miss Emmeline Clark, and to this marriage 
one child was born, which died when five months old, and Mrs. Hilborn died 
S( M.n after its birth. On June 29, 1869, our subject was married to Miss S. J. 
Davis, and the one child of this marriage died in infancy. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 705 

In 1868 Air. Hilborn sold his farm and bought eighty acres located five 
miles north of his former farm, residing' there for six months, then disposing 
of it and removing to Mechanicsburg, where he purchased two and one-half 
acres. This tract he also sold and then bought three acres and built upon it 
a good house and barn, making excellent improvements, and there he resided 
for four years and then sold and purchased rive acres of land in Tiro. This 
he laid out in town lots and has sold all but his home place. Mr. Hilborn has 
done well in his real estate transactions and has displayed excellent judgment 
in every sale and purchase. 

For about ten years Mr. Hilborn engaged in truck gardening, but for the 
past few years he has conducted a coal and draying business in Tiro, where 
he is well and favorably known. For many years our subject has been a lead- 
ing member of the United Brethren church and is one of the trustees of the 
same. In political sympathy he has ever been an ardent Republican, and has 
efficiently served on the town council for two terms. Socially he is connected 
with the G. A. R. organization, and both in this community and through the 
county where he is well known he is universally esteemed. 

JOHX BURGER. 

One of the substantial and successful farmers as well as much respected 
citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, is John Burger, who was born in Alsace 
while it was still a province of France, in the year 1845. He was one of a 
family of twelve children born to John and Mary (Shearer) Burger, five of 
whom still survive, as follows : Horace, of this township; John, the subject of 
this sketch; Margaret, the wife of Louis Phillips, of Norwalk, Ohio; George, 
a resident of this township ; and Mathias, also of this township. Mr. and Mrs. 
John Burger were also natives of Alsace, where the former was born on May 
25, 1810, and the latter was born on February 2, 1816. There they grew to 
maturity, in the same neighborhood, and there the father learned the trade of 
weaver. At the age of twenty years he entered the army and served in it for 
seven years, marrying soon after his discharge. During the summer months 
it was his custom to engage in farming, while the winter months were em- 
ployed in work at his trade. In 1846 Mr. Burger brought his family, by sail- 
ing vessel, to America. The voyage consumed forty-two days and after land- 
ing in New York city they came direct to Crawford county, Ohio. 

After coming to Ohio Mr. Burger bought a farm of forty acres, in Cran- 
berry township, consisting of forest land. For this he paid two hundred and 



706 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

forty dollars, and here he built a cabin and was busily engaged during the suc- 
ceeding eight years in clearing and improving this land, succeeding in getting 
the larger portion of it ready for cultivation. In 1853 Mr. Burger exchanged 
this farm for one of eighty acres in Auburn township, this property adjoining 
the farm of our subject on the west, and here he resided until the time of his 
death, in 1873. Mr. Burger was a man of great energy and endurance, but was 
stricken with paralysis seven years prior to his death, and this entirely incapaci- 
tated him for further work. For a man of his industry this was a heavy af- 
fliction, but he bore it with Christian fortitude. His wife survived him some 
twenty-two years, dying in 1895, in the eightieth year of her age. Both par- 
ents had been worthy members of the Catholic church. 

John Burger, of this biography, grew up at home, but received only lim- 
ited educational advantages, his whole time at school being included in the 
eight or nine months when he was able to receive instruction in a subscription 
school. However, reading and association with others have done their work, 
and Air. Burger is now able to take his place with the most intelligent and best 
informed farmer citizens in his neighborhood. He was not more than eighteen 
years of age when the management of the home farm of one hundred and ninety 
acres fell upon his youthful shoulders, but he possessed much of his father's 
energy and industry and managed so well that at the age of twenty-one he took 
entire charge of affairs and farmed the land on shares. 

The marriage of our subject was on November 22, 1870, to Miss Louisa 
Fisher, who was a native of Erie county, Ohio, and who was a daughter of 
Anthony Fisher, who was born in Baden, Germany. After marriage our sub- 
ject continued to manage the home farm for the three succeeding years, but 
in 1876 he purchased one hundred and forty acres of land where he now re- 
sides and removed to this place. With the additions he has since made, this 
farm now consists of some two hundred and seventeen acres, but this does not 
represent all the land owned by Air. Burger. Two other farms in this town- 
ship belong to him, one consisting of one hundred and twenty acres, and an- 
other of eighty acres, while in Huron county he owns one farm of one hundred 
and seventeen acres and another of one hundred and twenty-two acres, making 
his landed possessions amount to six hundred and fifty-nine acres. Air. Burger 
has been very successful in his land transactions, possessing good judgment 
and a thorough knowledge of the value of property in the different parts of the 
county. 

Three children were born to Air. and Airs. Burger, namely: Amelia, the 
wife of Adam Miller, a merchant of Xew Washington, Ohio; Edward, at 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 707 

home; and Josephine, a student in New Washington. In his political belief 
Mr. Burger has always been a Democrat, and has taken a great interest in the 
success of his party. He is a leading member of the Catholic church, in which 
he is a trustee, and is one of the solid and reliable citizens of Auburn town- 
ship, where he is widely known and universally respected. 



Mrs. CATHERINE B. BROWX. 

Prominent among the residents of Crawford county, Ohio, in Sandusky 
township, is Mrs. Catherine B. Brown, the widow of the late Christian Brown, 
who during life was one of the highly esteemed citizens of this township. 
Mrs. Brown was born in Liberty township, on April 23, 1834, and she was a 
daughter of Caleb and Magdalena ( Brosie) Schieber. 

Mrs. Brown grew to womanhood under paternal care and acquired her 
education in the common schools of the neighborhood and became thoroughly 
fitted to assume the position of farmer's wife, skilled in housewifery and pos- 
sessed of those estimable qualities which through life have won for her warm 
and appreciative friends. On January 10, 1853, she was united in marriage 
to Mr. Christian Brown. The latter was a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, 
where he was born on July 28, 1825, and he was a son of John and Rosanna 
Brown, who came into Sandusky township at an early day, where Mr. Brown, 
the father, purchased the farm upon which our subject now resides. 

Mr. Brown was seven years of age when his parents came to America, 
and his education was pursued in the common schools. Shortly after reach- 
ing his majority Mr. Brown began farming operations on the home farm, 
working on shares. After his marriage in 1853 he settled with his bride on the 
home farm and continued to follow agricultural pursuits until the death of his 
parents. The father died first, passing from life as one of the esteemed men 
of his locality. The mother resided with her son until she also passed away. 
Both had been most worthy members of the German Reformed church and in 
that church Christian Brown was also a leading and valued member. 

After coming into possession of the home farm Mr. Brown bought twen- 
ty-six acres which adjoined it, making the farm to consist of one hundred and 
six acres, and in addition to> this he bought another farm, comprising sixty 
acres, upon which his son Oscar now lives. Eight children were born to Mrs. 
Brown and her lamented husband, these being as follows : Oscar, a farmer ; 
Rosanna, the wife of H. J. Shupp, of Holmes township; Autillie, deceased; 



7o« CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Alary E., at home; Sarah, the wife of Lincoln Majors, the manager of the home 
farm; Charles, at home; and two infants, who died early. 

The death of Mr. Brown on January 23, 1873, removed from the town- 
ship one of its most worthy citizens. In politics he was a stanch Democrat, 
although he never sought office, and was highly regarded by all who knew 
him for his many fine traits of character. Airs. Brown is surrounded by her 
children and is a lady well and favorably known both in the church and in the 
neighborhood. 

JOHN R. ECKERT. 

The Eckert family has long been prominent in Germany and is ably 
represented in America, east and west. John Eckert and his wife, who was 
Annie M. Renter, came to America in 1847, anc ^ located at Lancaster, Penn- 
sylvania, where John R. Eckert, their only child, was born October 3, 1849. 
John R. Eckert, who is a well-known farmer of Jefferson township, Crawford 
county, Ohio, is the immediate subject of this sketch, and his career will be 
treated more at length further on. 

In 1866 John Eckert came with his family from Lancaster county, Penn- 
sylvania, to Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio, and bought fifty 
acres of land, which is now comprised in his son's homestead. Later he 
bought seventy-eight acres more. He was a thrifty and successful farmer 
and a good business man and he and his wife were devout members of the 
Lutheran church. He died in 1886, at the age of seventy years. His wife 
died in 1883. 

John R. Eckert was in his seventeenth year when his father located on 
the Eckert farm in Jefferson township. He received a good education in the 
common schools and early became a valuable assistant to his father. He 
now owns one hundred and ninety-six acres of valuable farming land which 
he devotes to miscellaneous crops and to stock-raising. He is a man of in- 
fluence in the township, who consistently votes the Democratic ticket. He was 
elected land appraiser in 1890 and again in 1900, and filled the office of town- 
ship trustee from 1892 to 1898, and for three years has been central com- 
mitteeman. His public spirit has impelled him to ally himself with many 
movements for the general good and he is an active and helpful member of 
the Lutheran church. 

In 1 87 1 Air. Eckert married Miss Barbara Vulkmar, and thev have had 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 7°9< 

nine children, named as follows : Jacob, George Henry, Annie Margaret, 
Elizabeth Eva, John William, Albert Carl, Ernest Paul, Maud Mae and 
Ruth Oleona. Elizabeth Eva is dead. 

FREDERICK PRY. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1803, 
emigrated to this country in 1828 and settled in Xew Lisbon, Columbiana 
county, Ohio. There he resided one year and was united in marriage with 
Rica Bowman, who, with her parents, emigrated to this country the same 
year. Soon after their marriage they moved to Liberty township. Air. Pry 
bought a small farm of forty acres, built a log cabin in the woods and com- 
menced to clear the ground for a farm, upon which he resided until 1840, 
when he removed to Sandusky township, Crawford county, and purchased a 
larger farm, on which he lived until his death, which occurred in 1893, in 
the ninetieth year of his age. 

He had thirteen children, five of whom were deceased over thirty years 
ago. The family Bible in which their records were kept was burned about 
ten years ago, at the burning of his son Lewis' house. The other children, 
(if whom a record was preserved, are as follows: John, of Richland county; 
Eliza Heller, a resident of Williams county; Christ, who resided in. Auburn 
township, Crawford county, until his death, which occurred in 1898; Jacob, 
who resides in Sandusky township on the old homestead; Lewis, a resident 
of Sandusky township; Christena, now Mrs. Lewis Dapper, who resides in 
Leesville, this county; William, who lives in Liberty township, this county; 
and Celia, the youngest, who was married to J. M. Solinger in the year 1876. 
They lived with her parents until their death. In the year T894 she, with her 
husband, moved to a point near Crestline, on which place she resided until her 
death, which occurred in 1900. 

The mother of our subject also was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 
181 1, and died in 1887, at the age of seventy-six. She was a daughter of 
Jacob and Margaret Bowman, who came to this country about the same time 
as did the Pry family, and they located in Vernon township, Crawford county. 

John Pry acquired a common-school education and early began assisting 
his father on the farm, remaining with him until his marriage. On December 
1, 1859, he was united in marriage to Miss Alary Cole, who was a daughter 
of Barnet Cole, the latter being a native of Pennsylvania. He came to Craw- 
ford county, Ohio, when he was a young man, was married in this state and 



710 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

here reared his family. After marriage Mr. Pry moved to Plymouth, Ohio, 
and there engaged in the hotel business for one year, returning then to a 
farming life. His father-in-law wished him to take charge of his farm and 
conduct operations on shares, and this our subject consented to do for the 
follow ing three years. After this period he rented a farm from James En- 
glish, later one from Thomas Mickey, and followed agricultural pursuits on 
these tracts until 1866. At this time, in association with his brother, Jacob 
Pry, lie purchased the farm of one hundred and twenty acres upon which 
he now resides, and for twelve years the brothers farmed in partnership, and 
then our subject bought his brother's interest, the latter removing to San- 
dusk}: township. This farm shows the care and attention which has been 
given it and ranks with the best in the county. Our subject's eighty-acre farm 
lies in Crawford county, and forty acres lie in Richland county, both tracts 
being highly improved and. most desirable property. Mr. Pry is known as a 
most industrious and worthy citizen and has a wide circle of friends. In 
politics his vote is always given to the candidates of the Republcan party and 
he is a stanch supporter of its principles. Socially he has long been connected 
with the Odd Fellows order, and both he and wife are leading members in the 
Methodist church. 

Our subject and wife have reared a family of eight children, six of whom 
still survive, namely: Lewis Franklin, born September 15, i860; Albert 
Wilis, born May 3, 1865; Lucy Jane, who was born October 18, 1862, and 
was married to Henry J. Kahl in 1884: John Crowvalia, born October 13, 
1875; Charles C, January 1. 1877; Rica Maudesta, born April 18, 1880; 
Barnet J. C, who was born July 13, 1870, and died August 27, 1886; and 
Meda Belle, who was born February 18, 1868, and died August 7, following. 

BENJAMIN STEVENS. 

The Stevens family has been one of the most prominent in the develop- 
ment of Crawford count}', Ohio, and no member of it stood higher in the 
esteem of the community in which his useful life was passed than did Benja- 
min Stevens, whose death occurred on December 4, 1893. 

Benjamin Stevens was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, on April 4, 
1820, and he was a son of Amos and Hannah (Cummings) Stevens, of whom 
a more extended mention is made in the sketch of Jacob Stevens, which may 
be found in another part of this volume. Mr. Stevens, of this sketch, was 
fourteen years of age when his parents came to Crawford county, and here 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 711 

he grew to manhood and took advantage of every educational opportunity. 
Through life he was a reflective reader and gained thus much knowledge, 
while his association in later years with men of affairs widened his stock of 
information, rendering his education both practical and useful. During years 
of invalidism his books were companions. 

He assumed control of the home farm when he was about twenty-five 
years old, his parents making their home with him, and he looked after their 
comfort as long as they survived. In 1850 he was united in marriage to Miss 
Eliza A. S. Barker, who was a native of Geauga county, Ohio, and a daugh- 
ter of Asa and Roby (Adams) Barker, both of whom were natives of Con- 
necticut, where they grew to maturity and were married, and five of their six 
children were born in that state prior to the birth of the late Mrs. Stevens. 
The Barker family came to Geauga county, Ohio, but later removed into 
Richland county, where they resided for a number of years, finally removing 
to Illinois, to which state two sons had preceded them. They continued to re- 
side there until their lives ended, and the only member of the family still sur- 
viving is Sidney Barker, of Illinois. 

Following his marriage the late Mr. Stevens farmed on the home place 
and took a prominent position in the county for the succeeding fifteen years. 
His father had passed away in 1852 and the old home place reverted to him, 
consisting- of one hundred and sixtv acres of land, with buildings and so 
forth. Here Mr. Stevens remained until April 4, 1865, when he celebrated 
his birthday by removing to the farm he last occupied, consisting of one hun- 
dred and twenty acres, he having sold the former one. This place possessed 
many attractions for our subject, as he had helped to clear the land and as- 
sisted in the building of the first cabin on it. The land had been entered by 
a Mr. Wells and was intended for his daughter at that time. This was the 
comfortable and attractive home in which the remainder of the life of Mr. 
Stevens was spent. His attention was given to this property and it is one of 
the best improved and most desirable estates in Crawford county. 

Two children were torn to Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, one of whom died in 
infancy, the other being Minelva G., who resides on the farm, a worthy repre- 
sentative of one of the most esteemed citizens of the community. The mother 
of Miss Stevens died in 1854 and some years later the father married Miss 
Ann McCracken, who was a native of Bucyrus, where she resided until her 
eighth year, at which time her parents removed to a farm that was located 
one mile east of Bucyrus, where her parents resided during the rest of their 



712 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

lives. Mrs. Stevens survived her husband for six years, dying on September 
24, 1899. 

In politics Mr. Stevens was an ardent Republican, but his tastes never 
caused him to- desire office, although he always performed his duty as a citizen. 
Neither was he formally connected with any church organization, having 
early taken the Golden Rule as his guide through life and conscientiously fol- 
lowing its leadings. Although leading a quiet life and rarely assuming a 
conspicuous position even in county affairs, he was always to be found when 
charitable or benevolent objects were to be furthered or action taken in edu- 
cational or moral movements. The sterling qualities which made him a man 
above his fellow's have in great degree been displayed in the character of his 
only surviving child, and she is both highly esteemed and much respected 
through Sandusky township. 



FRANKLIN D. HEINLEN. 

The agricultural interests of Crawford county are well represented by 
Franklin D. Heinlen, one of the leading and foremost citizens of the locality. 
He was born on the farm where he still resides, on the 24th of June, 1858, a 
son of Matthias and Elizabeth (Bickle) Heinlen. The father was born in 
Wurtemberg, Germany, in 181 5, and in 1837, m company with his brother 
George, he came to the United States, landing in New York city 
after a voyage of seventy days. On his arrival in this country his 
worldly possessions consisted of but one dollar, which he spent for his night's 
lodging, and on the following day he and his brother borrowed enough money 
from a friend who was coming to Crawford county to- accompany him to this 
locality. The brother remained in Crawford county and worked out their 
indebtedness, while Matthias proceeded north to the Maumee canal, where he 
worked on the construction of the canal for a year, after which his health 
failed and he then returned to Crawford county and secured employment at 
farm labor south of Bucyrus, where he remained for eight years. He was 
then married and purchased a small farm of twenty acres, now known as the 
Nussbaum farm, in Bucyrus township, where he remained for another six 
years, when he sold that property and purchased forty acres near Glenville, 
now known as the Benjamin Simm farm, and after residing there for five 
years he sold that tract, and on the 1st of March, 1858, secured possession 
of the present Heinlen farm, then known as the McLain farm. It contained 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 713 

a tract of eighty acres, and by hard work and persistent effort Mr. Heinlen 
was enabled to add another eighty acres thereto, making a farm of one 
hundred and sixty acres, and there he spent his remaining days, his death 
occurring on the 16th of September, 1897. The brothers deserve great credit 
for the success that they attained in life. They arrived in this country 
without money and without friends, "strangers in a strange land," and by 
perseverance and economy they both succeeded in acquiring a com- 
petency, and were numbered among Crawford county's most honored citi- 
zens. Matthias Heinlen was a Democrat in his political views, and was a 
worthy member of the Lutheran church. His wife, who was born in Ger- 
man)-, in 1820, came to America with her parents, Simon and Elizabeth Bickle, 
when a child of eight years, the family locating in the cranberry marsh in 
Ohio, but later removed to Bucyrus township, where they spent the remainder 
of their lives. Mrs. Heinlen is still living and now makes her home with our 
subject. Mr. and Mrs. Heinlen became the parents of nine children, eight of 
whom still survive, namely: Elizabeth, the wife of Absalom Bolinger, of 
Wyandot county, Ohio; John, of Bucyrus township, Crawford county; Simon 
M. and Samuel, also of Bucyrus township; Lena, wife of Byron Kent, a resi- 
dent of Bucyrus township; Matilda, widow of Henry Ochse, of Nevada. Ohio; 
Lucinda, wife of J. S. Murphy, of Dallas township; and Franklin D., the sub- 
ject of this review. 

The latter was reared on the home farm, but received very limited school 
privileges, for at the early age of five years he began working on the farm, 
riding a horse in the fields for plowing corn, and as he grew older more im- 
portant tasks were assigned him. Thus when most boys enter upon the active 
duties of life he was a leading factor in the conduct of the home farm. In 
1 88 1 he assumed full management of the old homestead, working on the 
shares, and in 1889, with the accumulation of his former years of hard and 
incessant toil, he was enabled to purchase a farm of his own, consisting of one 
hundred and sixty acres, in Dallas township. The land was then in its primi- 
tive condition, but he cleared and improved the tract, erected substantial farm 
buildings, and not only has he cleared it of all indebtedness, but has also made 
it one of the most desirable farms of the county. However, he has never re- 
sided on this property, it being conducted by a tenant. He has always made 
his home on the old Heinlen homestead, which after the father's death was 
divided, the mother retaining a dower interest in the original tract of eighty 
acres, while our subject purchased the remaining eighty acres. On the 10th 
of October, 190-1, be purchased a farm of thirty acres of his neighbor and 



7i4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

friend, Frank M. Harvey, who was obliged to sell owing to the poor health 
of his sister, Minnie, and move to town. 

On the ioth of February, 1901, Mr. Heinlen was united in marriage with 
Mrs. Mary Harris, a native of Antrim township, Wyandot comity, Ohio, 
and a daughter of A. E. Miller. By her marriage to Arthur Harris she became 
the mother of three children, only one of whom is now living, Chester A. A. 

In his political affiliations our subject exercises his right of franchise in 
support of the men and measures of the Democracy. For the past nineteen 
years he has been a correspondent for the Nevada Enterprise, one of the lead- 
ing journals of the locality, and he is also a member of the school board, now 
serving on his second term. Fie is also a prominent and active member of the 
Knights of Pythias fraternity, No. 234, of Nevada, Ohio, in which he has 
filled nearly all of the chairs. He served one term as outer guard, one term 
as inner guard, one term as master at arms, one term as prelate, one term as 
vice chancellor commander, two terms as chancellor commander, one term as 
deputy grand chancellor, and at the present time is serving as master at arms. 
He is one of the well known and highly esteemed residents of Crawford county, 
and all measures for the public good receive his hearty support and co-opera- 
tion. 

JOHN J. WEAVER. 

Among the prominent and well known citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, 
John J. W T eaver takes a leading position, having for a number of years been 
identified with the public affairs of Vernon township. John J. Weaver, Esq., 
was born in the township and county where he resides, on January 31, 1857, 
and he was a son of Peter and Mary (Baublitz) Weaver, and was the eldest 
in their family of eight children, the others of the family being: George, a resi- 
dent of Jackson township in Richland county ; David, of this township ; Henry, 
of Shelby, Ohio; William, of Crestline; Samuel, of Shelby; and Anna, the 
wife of Clement Bodley, of Shelby, Ohio. 

Peter Weaver, who is our subject's honored father, is a native of Germany, 
born there in the province of Hesse-Darmstadt, on August 8, 1831, and when 
he was a lad of eleven years accompanied his parents to America. They located 
in Jefferson township, in Crawford county, later removing to Vernon town- 
ship. There the grandfather of our subject acquired a farm of seventy acres, 
this now being a part of the Knapp farm The grandparents passed their last 
•days on this property. Peter Weaver grew to manhood on this farm and mar- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 715 

ried while living there, but one year later he removed to Wyandot county and 
bought a farm of forty acres, in Eden township. At a later date he sold this 
and bought a farm of eighty acres which was located one mile from his former 
property and for six years he made this the family home. In 1869 he sold 
this property and returned to Crawford county, at this time buying a farm of 
one hundred and forty acres in section 9, in Vernon township, and here he lived, 
until 1 88 1, when he also sold this farm in order to purchase the one consisting 
of two hundred and twenty acres, this being the property upon which our sub- 
ject now resides. For the following six years Mr. Weaver managed this large 
estate and then sold it to- his sons and removed to Shelby, where he has since 
resided, living a somewhat retired life, enjoying the results of many years of 
industry. In politics Mr. Weaver is a stanch Democrat, but he has never been 
willing to accept any party preferment. Both he and his estimable wife have 
long been leading members of the German Lutheran church, and are among the 
most respected of the older residents of Shelby. 

John J. Weaver, familiarly known as Esquire Weaver, on account of his 
long and honorable service as justice of the peace, was reared on the home 
farm and acquired an excellent common-school education, and later had the 
advantage of one term in the Ada Academy. He was about twenty years of 
age when he became a teacher in the district schools, continuing to 1 follow this 
profession in districts one, four and five for some seven years. 

On August 1, 1880, our subject was united in marriage to Miss Susie 
Esterline, who was a native of this township and who was the daughter of Eli 
Esterline, who was one of the early settlers of Crawford county, coming from 
Pennsylvania, which was his native state. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Weaver 
established their home on our subject's present farm, which then consisted of 
forty acres, but since then he has added to this until he now owns eighty-nine 
and one-fourth acres, all of which has been bought of his father. Mr. Weaver, 
is an excellent farmer and owns one of the most desirable tracts in the township. 
As a leading member of the Democratic party, our subject has been identi- 
fied with public affairs in no small degree and has been honored by his fellow- 
citizens by election to many of the local offices. In the spring of 1885 he was. 
elected assessor and efficiently served for two terms, and in 1889 he was made 
justice of the peace and has shown such excellent judgment and thorough 
knowledge of the duties of this position, that he has been called on to serve con- 
tinuously ever since. In 1890 he was also elected township clerk and served in 
that capacity for two successive terms, and he is still serving as truant officer, 
to which position he was appointed in 1893. In 1900 Mr. Weaver was called 



716 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

upon to serve as land appraiser of the township and his careful and just atten- 
tion to the duties of this position gained for him the commendation of all con- 
cerned, his report passing- both hoards of equalization without a single change 
being made in his work. In 1893 Mr. Weaver was appointed an agent in the 
Crawford County Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of Bucyrus, 
Ohio, a position in which he still serves. 

Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Weaver, namely : Maud 
Leone, the wife of Charles R. Warner, of Vernon township ; Anna Elizabeth 
and Fstella May. They also have a son named Wilber W. Weaver, of whom 
they feel very proud. The Lutheran church has long had the support of our 
subject and family, and in it as well as in business and political circles, Mr. 
Weaver is regarded as a just and honest man, a useful citizen and one who 
well represents the leading class in Crawford county. 

EMORY JAY DWIRE. 

A leading educator and also a prominent business man of Crawford 
county, Ohio, is Emory J. Dwire, who is a well known and esteemed resident 
of Tiro. The birth of Mr. Dwire was near Clyde, Sandusky county, Ohio, 
on November 28, 1874, and he is a son of John S. and Lucy A. (Beard) 
Dwire, who reared a family of five children. Our subject is one of the three 
survivors, the others being: Lumetta B., the wife of William G. Setterfield, 
O'f Richland county; and Dr. Harry E., of Oceola, Ohio. 

The Dwire family is one of the old and leading ones in this part of the 
state of Ohio. Great-grandfather William Dwire was for many years an or- 
dained minister of the Methodist church, as well as a prominent merchant in 
Ashland. He was a man of sterling traits of character and was most highly 
esteemed. His son, Isaac Dwire, grew to manhood a worthy successor to his 
father. He was born near Ashland, then Richland county, Ohio, in 1808, 
and was thoroughly educated, his father being a man of superior intellectual 
qualifications. Very early in life he became a teacher. When near his twenty- 
first year he was married, and about 1835 he removed to Seneca county, where 
he entered one hundred and twenty acres of forest land, built there a cabin and 
labored there until his land was cleared and improved, and there his useful and 
blameless life ended in 1874, when sixty-six years of age. In politics Grand- 
father Isaac was a Whig, but later on he became a Republican, although he was 
never an office-seeker. At one time he was elected justice of the peace but held 
the position but a short time, resigning it in order to give his attention to more 



CENTENNIAL B10GRAPEIICAL HISTORY. 7^7 

congenial duties. For very many years he was a leading' member of the 
Methodist church, where he was held in the highest esteem. 

The birth of John S. Dwire, who was the father of our subject, was in 
Seneca count}-, Ohio, and he was a son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Whitting- 
ton) Dwire, and was reared in Seneca county. A family of fifteen children 
were born to his parents, fourteen of whom grew to maturity and became prom- 
inent in many walks of life, eight of them being teachers. Their father lookc 1 
carefully after their education, as the school advantages in the neighborhood 
were poor. At night he gathered them around him and instructed them, giv- 
ing them the personal care that they would not have received in any public 
establishment. He was well rewarded, for they all grew to intelligent manhood 
or womanhood. John Dwire began to teach at the early age of sixteen years, 
and seemed so well fitted for the profession that he continued an instructor for 
twenty-six years. During this time, however, he also engaged in farming, 
bought and sold land, owning at different times hve farms in various localities, 
but the last ten years of his life he spent on a farm in Jefferson township, in 
Crawford county, where he died on February 5, 1899. In his early years he 
was a member of the Republican part)', but he was a man of strong tem- 
perance principles and during his later life he worked and voted in sympathy 
with the Prohibition party. In religion Mr. Dwire was a member of the Meth- 
odist church and the last twelve years of his life were given to Christian work. 
As a husband, father and friend he reached the highest point of Christian 
manhood. The mother of our subject was born in Seneca county in 1841, 
and was the daughter of David Beard, who came to Seneca county from Mary- 
land, and was of Pennsylvania-German stock. Her death occurred on 18th 
of August, 1898. She had been a consistent member of the Methodist church 
from her youth. 

Emory J. Dwire, of this biography, grew to manhood under the parental 
roof, and until his sixteenth year he attended the country schools. He was 
ambitious and found honorable methods of earning enough to permit his at- 
tendance at select school at Crestline, Ohio, where he improved his oppor- 
tunities and after passing his first county examination with credit was per- 
mitted to enroll himself among the educators of his native state. After one 
term in the school-room he used the money thus earned in attendance at the 
Fostoria Academy, where he perfected himself in the higher branches, and 
the following winter he was one of the acceptable teachers of Richland county. 
After this his next educational movement was a summer spent at the National 



7i8 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, and following this he was continually 
employed in the district schools until 1896. 

Mr. Dwire is one of those deeply intellectual men who always remain 
students, and his next course was at the Ohio Normal University at Ada, 
Ohio, and there he graduated in the summer of 1897, although he did not take 
out his diploma until 1900, at which time he reviewed his studies prepara- 
troy to accepting a position in the Charleroi (Pennsylvania) high school. From 
1897 he taught three more terms in the district schools, and in the fall of 
1900, after making all preparations to undertake the duties of the Pennsylvania 
position, he was elected superintendent of the Tiro schools, and decided to 
remain in his native state. So satisfactory was his management of the schools 
of Tiro that a re-election followed in 1901, a testimonial to the scholarship 
and executive ability of our subject, most gratifying to his wide circle of 
friends. 

In April, 1897, our subject purchased an interest in the old home place 
in Wyandot county, and in April, 1899, he bought a residence property in 
Clyde, Ohio. In August, 1900, in company with his brother Harry, he pur- 
chased the drug store in Tiro, and thus he is the manager of one of the leading 
business lines in this place. 

The marriage of Professor Dwire was on July 15, 1900, to Miss Grace 
M. Champion, a native of Richland county and a daughter of Joseph D. 
Champion, who came to Tiro in 1888. In politics Professor Dwire is non- 
partisan, and he is fraternally connected with the Junior Order of United 
American Mechanics. Both he and his wife are leaders in the social circles of 
the village and are highly valued in the United Brethren church. Mr. Dwire 
has won an enviable reputation through the state as an educator, and is thor- 
oughly representative, not only of a fine old family, but also of the most in- 
telligent citizens of one of the leading states of the Union. 

MARTIN V. B. WOOD. 

One of the highly esteemed and honored citizens of Crawford county, 
Ohio, is Martin Y. 15. Wood, who was born in Huron county, Ohio, on April 
14, 1842, and he was a son of Jotham C. and Almira (Petrie) Wood, and was 
one of a family of five children born to them, four of whom still survive. The 
names of these are as follows: John J., of this township; Susan A., the 
widow of Peter Blystone, of Polk county, Missouri; Nancy J., the widow of 
Nancy Akers, of this township; and Martin, who is the subject of this sketch. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 719 

Jotham C. Wood was born in Herkimer county, New York, about 18 10, 
the family being an old and highly respected one in his native state. Here 
he grew to manhood and graduated in the study of medicine, coming to Huron 
county, Ohio, to engage in practice. With him came his wife and two chil- 
dren, and there Dr. Wood and his family resided until 1845, a t which time 
he came to Crawford county and located in West Liberty, where he lived 
until his death in 1847. In religious belief he was a Methodist, while in 
politics he belonged to the Democratic party. Dr. Wood was widely known 
and universally esteemed, and was a man of broad views, well educated, and 
highly gifted in oratory. 

The birth of the mother of our subject was in the state of New York, on 
January 27, 1810, and she came of Holland ancestry. After the death of her 
husband, the father of our subject, she was marrid to Enoch Baker, but of 
this union there was no issue. 

At the age of eight years, Martin V. B. Wood, who is our immediate sub- 
ject, was taken to the home and made a member of the family of Mr. Jonas 
Ashley, and there he remained until the breaking out of the- Civil war. In 
October, 1861, he enlisted in Company I, Fifty-seventh Ohio Volunteer In- 
fantry, re-enlisting at Larkinsville, Alabama, in January, 1864, then entering 
Company I, Ohio Volunteer Veteran Infantry, and serving faithfully until the 
close of hostilities, on August 15, 1865, when he was mustered out at Camp 
Chase. During his double service, Mr. Wood participated in many of the 
greatest battles of the war, among these Shiloh, siege of Vicksburg, Arkansas 
Post, Resaca and the Atlanta campaign, besides many minor engagements, and 
he was with General Sherman on his march to the sea, returnig thence to Wash- 
ington, by way of Richmond. 

For three months following his return from the wars, our subject worked 
as a farm hand, but the same autumn he purchased forty acres of land in 
Auburn township and engaged in farming for himself. On September 6,, 
1866, he was united in marriage to Miss Melissa Daugherty, who was a daugh- 
of Ezekiel Daugherty, the latter being a native of New Jersey, where he was 
born in 18 18. On February 5, 1842, Mr. Daugherty was united in marriage 
with Elizabeth White, and in 1832 they removed to Auburn township, in 
Crawford county, where Mr. Daugherty died. The mother of Mrs. Wood 
died December 15, 1893, at her own home in Tiro. Her youngest daughter, 
Clara, lived with her. Mrs. Daugherty is a descendant of Peregrine White, 
of Plymouth Rock notoriety, and they are all upright and much respected 
people. 

40 



720 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

On the first of the month of November following the marriage of our sub- 
ject the young couple went to housekeeping in a log house on Mr. Wood's 
farm of forty acres, but in the following April removal was made to a portion 
of Mr. Daugherty's land, where our subject and his brother-in-law farmed on 
shares for two summers and then Mr. Wood went back to the farm on which 
he was reared, and for three years farmed there for Mrs. Ashby, her husband 
having died in 1862. 

In 1 87 1 Mr. Wood bought his first sixty acres of the farm he now 
•operates, and later he added to it until his acres now number one hundred and 
eight and one-half. This has been admirably improved. In 1881 he erected 
one of the handsomest houses in the township, and it is one of the most at- 
tractive estates in this part of Crawford county. Three children have been 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Wood, the eldest of whom, Sarah, is deceased. The 
two survivors are: Mary O., the wife of Howard Griffith, a commercial trav- 
eler, of Indianapolis, Indiana; and Irving S., a druggist. In politics Mr. 
Wood is a Republican and takes a deep interest in public affairs. Mrs. Wood 
is a member of the Lutheran church and Mr. Wood also attends services there 
and is liberal in his support. He is one of the leading citizens of the town- 
ship, where he is highly esteemed on account of his upright and exemplary 
character. 

BENJAMIN F. ALLEN. 

Benjamin F. Allen, of this biography, has been one of the leading busi- 
ness men of Crawford county for the past twenty years, and is now one of the 
largest buyers and shippers of lumber in this part of the state of Ohio. The 
birth of Mr. Allen was in Concord, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, on Septem- 
ber 23, 1849, anc l ne was a son of W r altei and Barbara (Emery) Allen, who 
had a family of ten children born to them, six of these still surviving. These 
are: Priscilla J., the wife of Samuel Beaston, a farmer of Perry county, 
Pennsylvania; Benjamin F., the subject of this sketch; John, a resident of 
East Waterford, Juniata county, Pennsylvania ; George, on the old home farm ; 
Walter, a resident of Cambria county, Pennsylvania ; and Anna, the widow of 
A. A. Channing, of Plymouth, Ohio. 

Walter Allen was born in Boston, Massachusetts, about 1822, and he 
was nine years old when he started with his parents for the frontier. Upon 
reaching Baltimore both parents were taken ill and died there and the father 
of our subject was taken to the home of a wealthy tanner named McClelland, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 72 r 

of Strasburg, Pennsylvania, while two other kind families furnished homes 
for the other two children, Benjamin and Priscilla. Mr. Allen never heard 
from either. He knew that his parents were people of means, but was never 
able to learn anything more of his family. 

With Mr. McClelland Mr. Allen found a good home. He was a man 
of large means, owning a tannery, farms and stores and controlling much of 
the business then carried on in Strasburg. Mr. Allen was afforded the ad- 
vantages of a good common-school education, and was taught the trade of 
tanner. At the age of twenty-one he left the care of his foster-father and 
started out for himself, well equipped, for he had an education, a trade and 
good health and friends. Going to Concord, Pennsylvania, he began work as 
a journeyman, and so well performed his duties that he was soon made fore- 
man of the tanning yards, and continued in this line of work until 1872. Then 
he retired to his farm of one hundred and seventy acres near Concord, this 
property having belonged to his (our subject's) grandfather. Here he lived 
until the time of his death, in 1896. In his political convictions he was 
formerly a Know-nothing, then became a Whig and later a Republican, but 
he was never a seeker for office. During his later years he was an active 
member of the Methodist church and was unusually well informed on all Bible 
literature. 

The mother of our subject was born near Concord, Pennsylvania, on 
April 16, 1824, and she was a daughter of William and Jane (Steward) 
Emery. This was one of the old and influential families of Franklin county. 
The honored mother still resides on the old home farm, where she was married 
and where she took up her residence after the death of her parents, Mr. Allen 
having bought the property from the heirs. 

Benjamin F. Allen, of this sketch, was brought up in a good home under 
the care of a just father and an excellent mother. His education was acquired 
in the common schools, and at the age of twelve years he entered a tannery 
and under his father's instruction learned the trade at Spring Run. Here he 
worked for five years ; eight months in the summer and four months in the 
winter were given to attendance at school. In 1866 his apprenticeship was fin- 
ished and then he went to "Horse Valley," where he worked as a journeyman 
until 1870, going from there to Liberty Valley, Perry county. Pennsylvania, 
where he was emplo3 r ed at his trade until 1875. From there Mr. Allen went 
to Elmwood, Illinois, and became identified with the stock interests of 
J. P. Ryner, remaining with him one year. Then he returned to Perry 
county and formed a partnership with an uncle, James Emery, in farming, 



722 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

but eighteen months later sold his interests there to his uncle and came to 
Shelby, Ohio. Here he was employed by B. F. Lash on a farm for some three 
years, leaving there to embark in the lumber business. 

From the start Mr. Allen has been successful in this business, buying and 
selling great quantities of timber. In 1881 he came to Tiro, and since then has 
been one of the leading factors in industrial trade. His operations in lumber 
are very large, and sometimes he has as many as eleven mills engaged in 
cutting for him. For many years he has conducted the sawmill in this place 
and is one of the largest shippers in this county of ash timber. 

The marriage of Mr. Allen was on October 13, 1873, to Miss Fannie 
E. Snyder, who was the daughter of Francis and Mary A. (Swartz) Snyder, 
the former of whom was a miller by trade, but later entered the mercantile 
business, and for twenty-two years he was postmaster of Honey Grove, 
Juniata county, Pennsylvania, where he died. He had given the name to 
Honey Grove and he was one of the well-known and highly esteemed citizens 
of the county. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Allen, the two 
survivors being. — Ray and Ethan. In his political belief he is a stanch Re- 
publican, but is better known as a business man than as a politician. His 
standing in the county is high and his circle of both business and personal 
friends is large. 

GEORGE W. WICKHAM. 

The state of New York was recruiting ground of early settlers in 
western Pennsylvania and Ohio* and from those points descendants of early 
settlers from New York have gone to all parts of the great west and southwest, 
and wherever they have planted the banner of civilization development and 
prosperity have followed until literally the desert has been made to bloom like 
the rose. Some of the early settlers in Crawford county, Ohio, were New 
Yorkers, who trace their lineage to old and honorable colonial families, and 
one of the best known of these was Willard Wickham, father of George \Y. 
Wickham, a prominent citizen of Texas township. 

George W. Wickham was born in Texas township, Crawford county, 
Ohio, on the farm on which Mrs. David Bonks, his sister, now lives, Novem- 
ber it, 1841. His father. Willard Wickham, was born in Columbia county, 
New York, and was taken early to Ithaca, in central New York, where he was 
reared to manhood. In 1837 he went with his father, David Wickham, to 
Ohio, and they bought an eighty-acre improvement in Texas township, Craw- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 723 

ford county, on which a few acres had been cleared and a log cabin had been 
erected. There David Wickham died at the age of sixty-three years. For 
three years after his arrival in Ohio Willard Wickham taught winter terms of 
school. He served his fellow citizens as justice of the peace for twelve years 
and held other important local offices. He was a devout member of and an 
active worker in the United Brethren church. He married Phebe Pennington 
and they had nine children. He died in Texas township, December 15, 1900, 
aged eighty-five years, and his good wife died in 1888. 

The following facts concerning their children will be of interest in this 
connection : William H. Wickham, their eldest child, died at the age of three 
• years. George \Y. Wickham, the immediate subject of this sketch, was the 
second in order of birth. Margaret married Peter Huffman, of Texas town- 
ship. M. W. is well known in Texas township. Anson, a lawyer, lives at 
Bucyrus, Ohio. Mary F. married David Banks, of Texas township. William 
H., the second son of that name, is a practicing physician of Sycamore, Ohio. 
Wallace M. is ticket agent for the Ohio Central Railroad Company at Pem- 
berville. Wood county, Ohio. Grant died at the age of fifteen years. 

George W. Wickham was born in 1841, in Texas township, and later dur- 
ing that year his father removed with his family to Lykens township, where 
the boy grew to manhood. August 22, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Com- 
pany H, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer In- 
fantry. The regiment was stationed for a time at Parkersburg, West Vir- 
ginia. It participated in the battle of Winchester, where most of its members, 
Mr. Wickham among them, were made prisoners of war. After being con- 
fined in Libby prison for two days they were taken to the Belle Isle prison. 
After about a month's confinement there they were paroled. Mr. Wickham 
went to Annapolis, Maryland, where he was clerk for the adjutant of the 
federal camp, and thence he went home to Ohio on a furlough. He rejoined 
his regiment at Martinsburg, Virginia, and participated in the battle at New- 
market. Afterward he fought at Piedmont and at Lynchburg, Virginia, and 
after being in camp for a time at Harper's Ferry his regiment participated in 
the fight at Snicker's Gap, the engagement near Winchester, the battle of 
Berryville, and fought under Sheridan at Opequan. After that he fought at 
Fisher's Hill and at Cedar Creek. His regiment was transferred to the Army 
of the Potomac, under Grant, and was encamped at Deep Bottom, Virginia, 
until April, 1865. Next, under General Ord, it helped to storm and take 
Petersburg and Richmond. After the fall of Richmond that regiment and 
the Fifty-fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, were detached 



724 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

to cross the river and burn a bridge to prevent the escape of Lee's army. In 
this expedition he was again made a prisoner of war and was under guard 
with Lee's command when Lee surrendered. At the battle of Newmarket a 
minie ball penetrated his thigh, wounding him severely- 
After the war Mr. Wickham returned to Ohio and attended college at 
Westerville. After a year as a student there he became a school-teacher. 
He taught three years in Ohio and then went to Cass county, Missouri, where 
he taught three years and a half. Then, returning to Ohio, he located on his 
present farm in Texas township. He owns eighty acres of good land and de- 
votes himself to general farming. He is a member of Roberts Post, Grand 
Army of the Republic, of Benton, and of the Masonic lodge at Sycamore, Ohio. 
In politics he is a Republican and exerts a recognized influence in the councils 
of his party, and he has served six years as justice of the peace, three years as 
assessor and six years as township trustee. 

Lie was married March 12, 1872, to Mary Coder, and they have had 
seven children, named : Fleta ; Dock D., deceased; Elizabeth; Josie C. ; 
Ulysses ; Georgia ; and Jerome G. 

VALEXTIXE UXDERWOOD. 

The gentleman whose name is mentioned above is a prominent citizen of 
Todd township, Crawford county, Ohio, and is known not only in connection 
with local farming interests but in connection with milling interests at Lemert 
and elsewhere. 

Valentine Underwood was born in Crawford count)-, Ohio, September 6, 
1 844, a son of Lorenzo D. and Martha (Warner) Underwood, who had 
four sons and two daughters, three of whom are living. Mr. Under- 
wood's father removed to Crawford county in the pioneer period of 
its history, and in 1852 he went to Illinois. Thence after a year 
he removed to Centerville, Iowa, where he took up government land 
and remained until 1859, when he started for the California gold fields, 
Pike's Peak being- his objective point, driving a team of horses overland, 
but sickened and died by the way. In i860 his widow took her family to Lib- 
erty township, Crawford county. Ohio, where her son Valentine learned the 
miller's trade, in the old Warner Hour mill, in which he was employed con- 
tinuously for seven years. After that for two years he operated the old Taylor 
water-power gristmill in Sycamore township, Wyandot county, Ohio, under 
lease. Then, in company with B. W. Warner, his brother-in-law, he built a 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 725 

flouring mill at Melmore, Ohio, which he operated for six years, when, on 
account of failing health, he sold his interest in it to his partner and bought 
a farm of seventy-five acres in Todd township, Crawford county, where he has 
since lived, devoting himself to general farming and since his health has im- 
proved somewhat to' the manufacture of flour. He leased the Oceola mills 
for four years, and since 1897 has operated the Lemert roller mills, which 
have a capacity of one hundred barrels. 

April 13, 1865, Mr. Underwood married Miss Lucetta Quaintance, who 
has borne him two children, Tilley Edwin, who is a coal operator near Corn- 
ing, Perry county, Ohio; and Benjamin F., who is an engineer in the Lemert 
mill for his father. In politics Mr. Underwood is a Republican, but he is not 
an active politician, and has always been too busy to* trouble himself with 
office-holding, but he is not without a recognized influence in his party coun- 
cils, and is known as a man of public spirit, who- feels much solicitude con- 
cerning important interests of his township and county. 

GEORGE L. JEXXER. 

George Lewis Jenner enjoys the distinction of being one of the most en- 
terprising and successful farmers and stock-raisers in Crawford county. A 
native son of the Buckeye state, his birth occurred in Liberty township, Craw- 
ford county, in 1852, a son of John George and Mary A. (Ackerman) Jenner. 
The father was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 18 r 6, but came with his 
parents to the United States when sixteen years of age, the family locating in 
Whetstone township, Crawford county, Ohio, but some years later removed to 
Liberty township, one and a half miles southwest of Sulphur Springs, where 
the grandfather purchased a farm of seventy acres. There he spent his re- 
maining days. After one year spent in Sulphur Springs the father of our 
subject removed to a farm of forty acres south of the town, which he owned 
and operated for about ten years. He had learned the manufacture of spin- 
ning wheels in his young manhood, and he divided his time between that oc- 
cupation and the work of clearing and improving his farm, which was covered 
with a native growth of timber. He subsequently sold that land and purchased 
ninety-four acres of the farm where our subject now resides, to which he after- 
ward added sixty-six and a half acres, making him the possessor of one hun- 
dred and sixty and a fraction acres of land. He was a stanch Democrat in 
his political views, and was an active member of the Lutheran church. 

The mother of our subject was also a native of Wurtemberg, Germany,. 



726 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

but when ten years of age she came to America with her parents, the family 
locating in Columbiana county, Ohio. Her father was a tanner by trade, and 
followed that occupation as a means of support for himself and family. He 
passed away in early life, his death occurring about 1840, and his wife was 
called to the home beyond some years prior to> her husband's death. Mrs. 
Jenner is still living, and now makes her home with the subject of this review. 
By her marriage with Mr. Jenner she became the mother of eight children, 
only three of whom survive, and the two daughters, Mary C. and Amelia, 
still reside on the old homestead with their mother. 

George Lewis Jenner, whose name introduces this review, was reared 
upon the home farm, and the educational advantages which he enjoyed in his 
youth were extremely limited. As he was the only son of the family the work 
of the farm early fell upon his young shoulders. When he was twenty-one 
years of age he assumed the entire management of the homestead, farming 
the same on shares, during the first two- years receiving one-third of the crops, 
but the farm implements becoming badly worn he purchased new ones and 
from that time on received one-half of the proceeds. After the father's death, 
through the liberality of the children, the farm was given to the mother during 
her life-time, but our subject has ever since continued its management. In 
political matters Mr. Jenner is a stanch advocate of Democratic principles, 
and was the choice of his party for township treasurer, in which he served for 
one term, refusing to again become an incumbent in the office. Mr. Jenner 
is one of the practical and progressive farmers of the county, his fields being 
under a fine state of cultivation, the place stocked with the best grades of 
cattle and horses, and everything about the farm indicates its owner to be a man 
of wise judgment, perseverance and excellent business ability. 

ALLEN B. MULFORD. 

The name above will be recognized by readers of this work throughout 
Crawford county, Ohio, as that of a prominent farmer of Texas township, now 
living in well-earned retiracy after many years of useful and fruitful endeavor. 

Allen B. Mulford was born at Monroeville, Huron county, Ohio, March 
4, 1839, an( l came to Crawford county with his parents at the age of twelve 
years. He received his education in the common schools near his parents' 
home and early became an assistant to> his father in his agricultural enterprises, 
and after his father's death he acquired the ownership of the old family home- 
stead of one hundred and forty-two acres. He devoted himself to> greneral 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 727 

farming and stock-raising until 1892, and since that time has rented his farm 
but has retained his residence upon it. 

During the Civil war Mr, Mulford offered his services to the country 
but they were rejected because of his physical disability. Later he became a 
member of the home guards, and as such performed such duties as devolved 
upon him, regretting that he had been unable to go to the front and participate 
in the more stirring and dangerous scenes of the war. He is a member of 
D. A. Roberts Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Benton, Ohio. In poli- 
tics he is a Republican, but he never sought nor accepted office or has been 
especially active in political work, but his public spirit has impelled him to 
further so far as has been possible all measures having for their object the 
enhancement of the public weal. He was married November 16, 1893, to 
Miss Christine Beard. 

WILLIAM F. McCONNELL. 

Crawford county, Ohio, has many public-spirited and progressive citizens 
who have long had her best interests at heart, and one of these is William F. 
McConnell, who- is a native of this county, born in Auburn township, on April 
23, 1858. His parents were Samuel and Charity A. (Lash) McConnell, who 
reared a family of three children, these being as follows : Jennie, who is the 
wife of Francis M. Wilford and they reside on the home farm in Auburn town- 
ship; Mary M., who is the widow of Frank Stock, of Tiro, Ohio; and William 
F., who' is the subject of this sketch. 

Samuel McConnell was born in Jefferson county, near Steubenville, Ohio, 
on February 19, 1827, and he was the son of Charles and Nancy (TaggarO 
McConnell. When about twelve years of age he came with his parents to 
Richland county, Ohio, settling in Auburn township, and here Samuel grew 
to manhood. In 1850 his uncle, William Taggart, decided to go- to California 
and proposed to take Samuel with him, the latter agreeing to pay to his uncle 
one-half of all he earned during the first year to' reimburse him. They made 
the trip by way of the isthmus, and Samuel remained in California for three 
years, during which time he was very successful. Upon his return to Craw- 
ford county, in 1853, he purchased one hundred and six acres of land in 
Auburn township and engaged in farming, and lived in this same place until 
the time of his death, in December, 1890. In his immediate neighborhood 
he was regarded with esteem and was one of the leading members of the United 
Brethren church. 



728 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

William F. McConnell, of this sketch, grew up at home and acquired his 
education in the common schools. After his marriage he located in Mechanics- 
burg and there engaged for a time in farming, but in September, 1883, he pur- 
chased a butcher shop and removed to Tiro, where he did a retail meat business 
for the following six years. In 1889 Mr. McConnell changed his business 
from a retail to a wholesale trade, and began the buying and shipping of stock, 
in which business he is still engaged, finding a market in Chicago 1 . He has 
been the means of bringing much fine stock into Crawford county, while his 
shipments from the county have created a great agricultural industry. Dur- 
ing the spring and summer of 1893 our subject was employed by Armour & 
Company as a traveling salesman, but being a man of family and fond of 
domestic life he resigned that position. In connection with his stock interests 
Mr. McConnell also operates a farm of eighty acres. 

On August 9, 1882, our subject was united in marriage to Miss Lucy 
Daugherty, who was a native of Auburn township, and was the daughter of 
Aaron Daugherty. To this marriage six children were born, these being: 
Sherman C, deceased; Donna M., Claude, Blanche, George S., Glenna E. and 
Genevieve. The children are all attending school, as Mr. McConnell advo- 
cates a thorough education for all. For four years he was the capable marshal 
of the town. 

In 1892 Mr. McConnell built a large grain elevator in Tiro, which he 
successfully operated for one year, but his other business required his attention 
and he sold that property. He is a valued member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592, 
Knights of Pythias, and is one of the progressive and truly representative men 
of Crawford county. His energy and his thoroughgoing business methods 
have opened up avenues of industry through the county and he is well known 
and appreciated by a large circle of both personal and business friends. 



JOHN BROWN, Jr. 

John Brown, one of the wealthy and influential agriculturists of Crawford 
county, is a native son of the Buckeye state, his birth having occurred in Ver- 
non township, Crawford county, on the 27th of February, 1849. His father, 
John Brown, Sr., was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, on the 12th of March, 
1 819. His father died when he was but an infant, and his mother, Catherine 
Brown, reared her family of five children, two of whom, Gottlieb, of Ottawa 
county, Ohio, and John, still survive. The latter grew to manhood in his 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 729 

native country, and there learned the baker's trade, which he there followed 

until 1847. 

In that year, in company with his brother Gottlieb, he came to America, 
sixty-four days having been spent on the water, and they landed in New York 
in May of that year. Mr. Brown made his way to Ohio, settling in Vernon 
township, Crawford county, where he purchased ninety-three acres of land, 
the property being now owned by his son Philip. Shortly after his arrival here 
he was united in marriage with Mrs. Weidemeyer, who bore the maiden name 
of Catherine Kinney. She was born in Baden, Germany, in 1819, and was 
there married to a Mr. Weidemeyer, four children having been born unto this, 
union after they came to the United States. Three of the number still sur- 
vive—Barbara, wife of Jacob Glower, of Vernon township; Leonard, also a 
resident of this township ; and Catherine, wife of Emanuel Knapp, of Henry 
county, Ohio. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Brown were born five children, namely : 
John," the subject of this review; William, a farmer of Vernon township; Ja- 
cob and Philip, who also make their home in Vernon township ; and Charlie, 
a resident of Toledo, Ohio. 

After his marriage Mr. Brown, Sr., located on forty acres of land belong- 
ing to his wife, where he remained until her children reached adult age, when 
heVu-chased ninety-three acres in Vernon township, making his home thereon 
from 1858 until 1899. In the latter year he removed to the home of his son 
Philip, where he still resides. His wife was called to the home beyond on 
the 1 6th of December, 1896. Both she and her husband were active members 
of the German Lutheran church, in which the latter has served as a trustee and 
treasurer for many years. In political matters he affiliates with the Demo- 
cratic party, and for six years he held the office of township treasurer. Mr. 
Brown has long held rank among the leading citizens of Crawford county, and 
in all the relations of life he has borne himself as a kind husband and father, 
a true friend and an honest man of business. 

John Brown, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared to manhood 
in his parents' home, acquiring his education in the common schools of his 
neighborhood. At the age of nineteen years he left the parental roof and 
began the active battle of life as a farm hand, continuing that occupation until 
after his marriage, when he located on one of his father-in-law's farms, 
making his home there for two years. The place was then sold and our sub- 
ject took up his abode upon the Brown homestead, his father-in-law removing 
to Tiro, and there he resided^until 1895, when he removed to his present loca- 
tion, this farm being also the property of his father-in-law and contains one 



73o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

hundred and sixty-nine acres. Some time in the '80s Mr. Brown purchased 
land in Vernon township, the purchase price being seventeen thousand dollars, 
and this land is now- operated by his brother Philip, who also has charge of 
their father's farm. 

On the 28th of April, 1874, Mr. Brown was united in marriage with Miss 
Mary A. Brown, a daughter of Joseph D. Brown, whose history will be found 
on another page of this volume. Four children have been born unto this 
union, namely: Eva M., who was first married to Frank Turner, by whom 
she had two children, John Fl. and Hazel L., and she is now the wife of Ed 
Lucabaugh, of Crestline, Ohio; Sarah Josephine; Florence C. ; and Nora 
Luella. Mr. Brown exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and 
measures of the Democratic party, and many times he has served as a delegate 
to county conventions, while at the present time he is serving his fourth term 
as treasurer of the township. In his social relations he is a -member of Tiro 
Lodge, Xo. 592, K. P. He was reared in the Lutheran faith but is not a 
member of any religious denomination, although his wife and children hold 
membership in the Presbyterian church. The family is highly esteemed in the 
community. Mr. Brown has now reached the plane of affluence, but his pos- 
sessions represent his own earnings. He is honorable and upright in all that 
he does, thus deserving the respect and esteem which are accorded him as one 
of the substantial and representative citizens of Crawford county. 

SAMUEL HILBORN. 

One of the prominent farmer citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, who is 
well known and highly esteemed, is Samuel Hilborn, who was born in Rich- 
land county, Ohio, on June 28, 1826. His parents were Isaac and Nancy 
(George) Hilborn, and both of them were natives of Pennsylvania, where the 
former was born in 1798, and the latter on May 22, 1801. They were the 
parents of nine children, these being as follows : Polly, Robert, Samuel, Amos, 
William, Elizabeth Isabella, John and Sarah. The father died April 30, 1865, 
and the mother April 17, 1841. Isaac Hilborn was one of the early settlers 
of Auburn township. 

Samuel Hilborn, who is the subject of this sketch, was reared on the home 
farm and received the best education possible in that locality. At the age 
of seventeen years he left the parental roof and apprenticed himself to the 
blacksmith trade, remaining three years under instruction. Then he opened 
a shop of his own on the cross roads in Auburn township, which was later 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 731 

known as Mechanicsburg from the fact of the establishment there of a shoe- 
maker, a wagonmaker and a blacksmith, the combination being very satisfac- 
tory to the surrounding farming region. 

For ten years Mr. Hilborn conducted his blacksmith shop and then gave 
up his trade in order to engage in farming on his father's place on shares. In 
1856 he purchased eighty acres of land in Cranberry township, removed to 
the same and resided there for two years. Selling that, he then bought one 
hundred and sixty acres of land in Auburn township, which was timber land, 
located one mile north of the home farm, and here, in company with two others, 
our subject erected a sawmill, which was operated by them for several years. 
When this mill was sold to other parties our subject built a log cabin on the 
land and resided upon it for a short period and then returned to the home 
farm. Later, through exchange of land and a money consideration, our sub- 
ject acquired the home farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, and 
here has been the permanent family home ever since. 

In 185 1 Mr. Hilborn was married to Miss Elizabeth A. Irwin, a native of 
Chester county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Israel H. Irwin, who came 
to Crawford county about 1834, settling in Auburn township. To our sub- 
ject and wife live children were born, these being as follows: Ellsworth I., 
who conducts the home farm in Auburn township; Zella M., the wife of James 
Michener, of Tiro, Ohio; Charles M., of Massillon ; and Isaac N. and Emma 
L., both deceased. 

In politics Mr. Hilborn is a stanch and outspoken Republican, and in his 
religious belief he is a Lutheran and is one of the liberal supporters of that 
church. His reputation in Auburn township is that of a man whose word is 
just as good as his bond, and he well deserves the high regard in which he 
is held. 

WILLIAM MORROW, 

Holding marked prestige among the prominent agriculturists of Craw- 
ford county is William Morrow, who was born in Auburn township, this 
county, on the 13th of June, 1832, a son of James and Margaret (Kumler) 
Morrow. The father was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in 1809, 
a son of Charles and Mary (Cummings) Morrow, also natives of the Kev- 
stone state. In 181 7 they came to Crawford county, Ohio, locating in Auburn 
township, having been the third family to settle in this locality. The grand- 
father was a powerful man physically, and to him the word fear was unknown. 



732 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

The Indians stood in constant dread of him, and on one occasion he ran six 
of them from his house with a wagon whip, while at another time, the Indians 
having stolen some of his horses, he pursued them on horseback, and when they 
saw him coming with his rifle in hand they abandoned the horses and lied. 
His death occurred in 1865, having been of Irish descent. Unto Charles 
and Alary (Cummings) Morrow were born the following children: Davis, 
who served as postmaster and justice of the peace of Tiro for many years; 
James, the father of our subject; Nancy, who> became the wife of James 
Dixon; Eliza, the wife of Walter Dleen, one of the early pioneers of Crawford 
county; and Mary J., the wife of Barber Robinson. Unto the parents of our 
subject were born four children, — William, James, Charles and John. The 
father died in 1875. In political matters he gave his support to the Demo- 
cratic party. 

William Morrow, whose name introduces this review, was reared to man- 
hood on the home farm, and his education was acquired in the pioneer log 
school house of the neighborhood. He remained at home until after his mar- 
riage, when he purchased and located on seventy-four acres of his present 
farm. He afterward purchased the eighty acres of land where William Ben- 
der now resides, where he conducted a tavern for four years, and after re- 
siding on that property for ten years he sold the tract and purchased four 
hundred acres of land in Auburn township. He also spent ten years on that 
property, on the expiration of which period he disposed of the land and re- 
turned to his original purchase of seventy-four acres, where he now makes his 
home. 

In October, 1859, occurred the marriage of Mr. Morrow and Miss Lucy 
A. Trux, a daughter of Michael Trux, who emigrated to Richland county, 
Ohio, locating in Plymouth before a stick of the native timber had been cut 
from the forest there. Unto this union were born four children, — Abraham, 
a prominent agriculturist of Auburn township; William, who owns four hun- 
dred acres of land at Round Lake, Minnesota ; Davis and James, also residents 
of this township. The wife and mother died, and for his second wife our 
subject chose Nancy Loudon, a daughter of James Loudon, who came to 
Auburn township, Crawford county, from Pennsylvania, in a very early day. 
Two children were born unto the second union, namely : Frank, who makes 
his home in Crawford county; and Minnie M., the wife of Hays Mallic, of 
Auburn township. Mr. Morrow has been a third time married, when Mary 
Lipsett became his wife, but after four years of happy married life she, too, 
was called to the home beyond. In politics Mr. Morrow supports the Demo- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 733 

cratic party, and socially he is a member of Auburn Grange, No. 556, P. of 
H. He has now rounded the sixty-ninth milestone on the journey of life, and 
during this entire time he has been identified with the interests of the Buckeye 
state. At all times he has endeavored to promote the best interests of this 
section of the country, and high on the roll of the honored men of Crawford 
county is found the name of this worthy pioneer. 

CHARLES MORROW. 

Charles Morrow 'has long been a conspicuous figure in agricultural circles 
in Crawford county. He was born on the farm which he still owns, in Auburn 
township, on the 15th of May, 1839, a son of James and Margaret (Kumler) 
Morrow. He was reared to manhood on the old family homestead, being early 
inured to the labors of field and meadow, and his educational advantages were 
those afforded by the pioneer schools of that day. On reaching his twenty- 
first year he was employed by a Mr. Hodge, of Connecticut, to assist in driving 
cattle to that state. He made the return trip and started on a second, but 
after making a portion of the journey he returned, and on the 1st of January, 
1863, was united in marriage with Miss Savina Nickler, a native of Somerset 
county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Benjamin and Nancy (Nicholson) 
Nickler. The father, who was a native of Germany, came to America with 
his mother and stepfather when fourteen years of age, his father, who was of 
French parentage, having died in the fatherland. The family located in Fay- 
ette county, Pennsylvania, where Benjamin grew to manhood and learned the 
trade of a tailor. After his marriage he located in Somerset county, his wife's 
native place, and there divided his time between farming and working at the 
tailor's trade. In 1863 he emigrated to Crawford county, Ohio, locating in 
Liberty township, where he followed farming during the remainder of his life, 
passing away in death in 1864, at the age of fifty-five years. His widow sur- 
vived him thirty years, dying at the advanced age of eighty years and ten days. 
At the time of her marriage Mrs. Morrow was residing with a sister, Mrs. 
Anna Eicher, in Auburn township, and by her marriage with our subject she 
has become the mother of three children, namely : Martha Ann ; wife of W. 
J. Cleland, who resides on the old Arthur Cleland farm in this county ; Ida 
E., the wife of Frank Will, who now makes his home on Mr. Morrow's farm : 
and Mary J., the wife of Orin Lake, a prominent agriculturist of Auburn 
township. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Morrow began their domestic life in 



734 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

a little log cabin on one hundred and sixty acres of land which belonged to 
his father and where his brother William now resides, and there he followed 
agricultural pursuits for two years, receiving the entire profits from the farm. 
On the expiration of that period he returned to the old home farm on which 
he was born, and on his father's death he inherited the property, making his 
home thereon until 1885. In 1883 he purchased four and a half acres of land 
in the city of Tiro, and two years later he retired from the active duties of 
farm life and took up his abode in this city. He has since rebuilt his residence, 
making it one of the finest in the town, and there he and his wife are now 
living, surrounded by the comforts and many of the luxuries of life, the 
result of former toil. In political matters Mr. Morrow is identified with the 
Democratic party, and socially he is a member of Tiro Lodge, No. 688, I. O. 
O. F., of which he has been a member for twenty years. In his business 
affairs he has met with splendid success, and by reason of his energy, ambition 
and careful discrimination he has been very successful, being now regarded 
as one of the foremost men of his locality. A man of unswerving integrity 
and honor, one who has a perfect appreciation of the higher ethics of life, he 
has gained and retained the confidence and respect of his fellow men, and is 
distinctively one of the leading citizens of Crawford county, with whose inter- 
ests he has been identified for so* many years. 



FRANCIS M. LASH. 

Among the highly esteemed farmer citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, 
is Francis M. Lash, who- was born in Auburn township, in this county, on 
the farm which he now occupies, on January 23, 1848. He was a son of Peter 
and Mary (Fredline) Lash, who were pioneer settlers of Crawford county, 
and of whom extended mention is made in the biography of Peter B. Lash in 
another part of this volume. 

Francis M. Lash was the youngest of the family born to his parents, and 
when his father died, at the age oi forty-three, the hard labor of the farm fell 
upon his sons. The older brothers of our subject first managed the farm, 
while the latter grew to manhood and acquired his education in the public 
schools, and in 1870, when his next older brother left the home roof, the re- 
sponsibility fell upon him. As his circumstances warranted, our subject grad- 
ually purchased the interests of the other heirs, and by 1885 he had obtained 
entire control of the homestead, consisting of one hundred and three acres. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 735 

Mr. Lash is a thorough farmer and has brought his land to a fine state of cul- 
tivation, its value increasing year by year. 

The marriage of Air. Lash was on November 15, 1874, to Miss Almira 
Crum, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of David Crum, who was an 
old and honored resident of Liberty township, and a sketch of whom appears 
upon another page of this record. In politics Mr. Lash now supports the 
Republican party, but for several years he worked diligently for the Prohibi- 
tion party and at different times was a candidate on that ticket. His interest 
in the cause of temperance has not diminished, but he believes that the Re- 
publican party can best adjust the issues of the people. Both Mr. Lash and 
wife are active and useful members of the United Brethren church, in which 
his parents were so deeply interested, and for many years he has been one of 
the trustees, and is one of its most liberal contributors to both home and for- 
eign missions. Mr. Lash stands high in public esteem and is known to be a 
man of sterling character and unimpeachable integrity. 



GEORGE WEAVER. 

Among the prominent citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, George Weaver, 
of Auburn township, takes a leading position. The birth of Mr. Weaver was 
in Germany, a country which has contributed a large number of substantial 
citizens to America. Baden was the native city of Mr. Weaver, and there he 
was born on June 15, 1831, a member of a family of seven children born to 
his parents, Frederick and Mary M. (Brimley) Weaver. Two of this family 
are the only survivors, these being our subject and his sister Catherine, who- 
is the wife of John Zabst, of Steuben county, Indiana. 

Both Frederick Weaver and wife were born in Baden, and there they 
were reared and married, later becoming farmers. When our subject was but 
six months old his father died and the mother, with her family, emigrated to 
the United States, coming to Ohio and buying eighty acres of land in what 
was then a part of Richland county, but is now included in Crawford county. 
This land was located about one mile west of our subject's present farm, and 
was placed under the management of her eldest son. who had reached ma- 
turity. This son died some eight years later, perishing from foul gas in a 
well, the gas overcoming another young man who went to his assistance. The 
mother continued to reside on this farm for a number of years, finally selling- 
it and spending her last days with her children and dying early in the '70s,. 

41 



736 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

aged about eighty-live years, having" been a good mother and an excellent 
manager. 

George Weaver, of this sketch, grew to the age of fourteen years, spend- 
ing his time on the farm and in attendance at the pioneer school, where the 
conveniences and adornments consisted in slab benches and puncheon floor. By 
the time our subject was fourteen his mother broke up her home and he went 
to make his residence with a neighbor by the name of Jacob Cruykendall, 
and remained with him until he had reached his majority. Then our subject 
began his own career, working as a farm hand until his marriage. This took 
place on March 19, 1857, when he was united in marriage to Miss Katy A. 
Aumund, who was a native of this township and was a daughter of Adam 
Aumund. 

After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Weaver located on a portion of Mr. Crtiy- 
kendall's farm, where our subject carried on one summer's operations, on 
shares. Prior to his marriage he had purchased eighty acres of land in Inliana, 
but Mrs. Weaver did not feel inclined to go so far from her old home and 
friends, and our subject respected her desires and exchanged that land for 
seventy acres of his present farm, and in the fall of 1857 they removed to this 
new home. An earlier settler had built a log cabin and the young people soon 
made it cosy and comfortable, and this remained their residence for a number 
of years, Mr. Weaver later enlarging it. In 1874 he erected the substantial 
frame house where the family has since resided. The high cultivation to 
which Mr. Weaver has brought his land proves him a skilled farmer. It con- 
tains one hundred acres and has excellent improvements and presents a most 
attractive and thrifty appearance. 

Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Weaver, these being: Henry, 
at home, and Clara B. and Royal, both deceased. In politics Mr. Weaver has 
been a life-long Republican, and the esteem in which he is held by his fellow 
citizens has been shown by his election to the office of township trustee for 
three terms. Both Mr. and Mrs. Weaver, as well as their son, belong to the 
Methodist church, where our subject is recording steward and where he is held 
in the highest esteem. 

Mrs. W'eaver was a daughter of Adam, Jr., and Susannah (Harley) 
Aumund, the former of whom was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 
1799, and was a son of Adam and Christina Aumund. Soon after coming to 
Richland county, when a young man, he was married and located on a farm 
of eighty acres adjoining .his father's home farm, the latter having made pro- 
vision for his sons by entering four tracts of eighty acres each. Mr. Au- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 737 

mund lived on this farm all his life, adding to it until he had two 1 hundred 
and thirty acres. He was a man of much influence in his district and was a 
power in the councils of the Democratic party, serving several years as a just- 
ice of the peace, township truste and in other local offices, and was also an active 
member of the Methodist church. His death occurred in 1879, in his 
eightieth year. After the death of the mother of Mrs. Weaver, her father mar- 
ried, first, Nancy Harley, and by that marriage one son, Riley W., was born, 
since deceased; and Mr. Aumund's next marriage was to Mrs. Runyan, for- 
merly Miss Prudence West, and his last marriage was to Mrs. Vincent, who 
was formerly Miss Mary Davidson. Seven children survive, these being: 
Henry; Samuel; Mary E. ; Mrs. Weaver; George W. ; Mary A., the wife of 
R. R. Ross, of this township; and Henderson P. 

SAMUEL A. STOCK. 

Samuel A. Stock is one of the leading and influential men of the township 
in which he was born. His birth occurred on August 14, 1850, in Auburn 
township, Crawford county, Ohio, and he was a son of John and Christina 
(Schaffer) Stock, who reared a family of twelve children, six of whom still 
survive. These are as follows : George W., a resident of Cranberry town- 
ship ; Samuel A., the subject of this sketch; Jennie, the wife of George Hart, 
of this township ; Elvira, the wife of Frank Morse, of Cincinnati, Ohio ; Sabine, 
the wife of Abner McCane, of Xew Washington, Ohio; and Eva, the wife of 
Charles Urich, of Cranberry township. 

John Stock was born in Pennsylvania and came with his parents in his 
youth to Richland county, Ohio, where he married and then moved to Auburn 
township, Crawford county, where he owned an eighty-acre farm. Some 
time later he sold this farm and returned to Richland county and engaged in 
farming on the home place. His wife purchased a farm of one hundred and 
ten acres in Crawford county from her brother-in-law, and some years later 
exchanged this farm for the one which is now owned by her son George, and 
there her last years were spent. John Stock was a soldier during the Civil 
war, and was a member of the One Hundred and Sixtieth Ohio' Volunteer In- 
fantry, and was sent to the front, the privation and exposure bringing on 
dysentery, from which he died in Philadelphia, and there he was buried. 

Our subject grew to manhood amid home surroundings, and obtained 
an excellent school education in the district schools. He remained at home 
until he was twenty-six years old, managing his mother's property, and then 



738 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

was married to Miss Adelia L. Morse, who was also born in Auburn township. 
She was a daughter of Amos and Mehetable (Carlisle) Morse, the former of 
whom was one of the most influential men in the neighborhood. In his earlier 
years he was a teacher, but before his death followed agriculture on one hun- 
dred and sixty acres of land. In politics he was a Republican, and he held the 
office of justice of the peace for the last twenty years of his life. He was a 
member of the Baptist church and a man of more than average intelligence, 
and was the father of three children, viz.: Frank R., Adelia and Amanda, 
twins. 

After marriage our subject rented a farm of one hundred and fourteen 
acres in Cranberry township, where he remained some two years, removing 
then to his father-in-law's farm, which he has managed ever since. At the 
death of Mr. Morse he was made executor, and his esteemed mother-in-law 
resides with our subject and family. Six children have been born to- Mr. and 
Mrs. Stock, and the rive survivors are: Otis M., whoi is a graduate of the 
Linwood high school and the Woodward high school, of Cincinnati; and Ira 
\\\, Charles A., Irma A. and Harold M., all of whom are at home except Ira, 
who is employed in the tube works in Shelby, Ohio. The one member of the 
family who is deceased was Olive E. 

hi politics our subject is a member of the Democraitc part}', and he has 
been quite active in township affairs, serving four terms as assessor. At one 
time he was made a candidate by his friends for the office of trustee, but he 
never desired the office and did not work for it, and he was defeated by just 
one vote. In the order of K. of P. Mr. Stock has been a valued and useful 
member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592. He is one of the charter members of this 
lodge and has done much for its advancement. In the township he occupies 
a position of confidence and trust, and is regarded as one of the progressive 
and public-spirited citizens who are ever on the alert to advance the interests 
of Crawford county. 

WILLIAM DAWSON. 

Among the progressive and representative farmers of Crawford county, 
Ohio, is William Dawson, who for many years has been a very successful 
agriculturist of Auburn township. The birth of Mr. Dawson, of this biog- 
raphy, was in Lincolnshire, England, near the town of Boston, on December 
J 3< I( ^35- ^ e was a son °f William and Susan ( Courtright) Dawson, and is 
the only surviving child of his parents. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 739 

William Dawson was born also in Lincolnshire, in 1800, and after the 
death of his wife, some time after 1840, he came to America and located in 
Crawford county, Ohio, where he bought a farm of fifty acres, in Auburn 
township. At a later date he purchased an adjoining thirty acres, and this 
he improved and lived upon until his death, in 1858. Mr. Dawson was a man 
of high moral purpose and a most consistent member of the Primitive Metho- 
■dist church. In England he had been a local preacher and exhorter in the 
church, and always lived an exemplary life. After coming to America he con- 
tracted a second marriage. Miss Mary Gibson becoming his second wife, and 
she survived her husband for some years. 

After the death of the mother of our subject, when he was about seven 
or eight years of age, he found a comfortable home with an uncle, Samuel 
Dawson, and young William remained with him until his eighteenth year. 
This uncle was an extensive farmer and successful stock-raiser, and under his 
supervision our subject became well trained in all agricultural pursuits. This 
severe discipline served our subject well in after life, as he applied on his own 
land the principles which his uncle had taught, and now owns one of the best 
developed and valuable farms in Crawford county. 

hi 1853 Mr. Dawson, our subject, came to America, landing in New 
York City on May 11, 1853, after a tempestuous voyage, in the sailing vessel 
''Forest King," which lasted forty-seven days. In the furious storm they en- 
countered the vessel was stripped of her canvas and was almost wrecked. It 
was with a feeling- of great relief that Mr. Dawson found himself again on 
firm land, and he immediately made his way to his father in Crawford county. 
With him he engaged in farming, and on January 6, 1857, was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Rebecca J. Doty, who was a native of Ashland county, Ohio, 
and a daughter of a prominent farmer of Ashland county. In the following 
summer our subject took charge of the farm, and as his father died during 
the next year the property came into his possession. 

In 1862 our subject purchased one hundred and fifty-one acres of land 
in Ashland county, with the intention of moving to that place, but just at this 
time came a family affliction, — the death of a dear child, and Mrs. Dawson 
felt unable in her trouble to leave old friends and. associations. Therefore, in 
1864 Mr. Dawson sold this farm and purchased his present one, which con- 
sists of one hundred and eighty acres, and resided upon it, improving and 
beautifying it, until about 1887, when he rented it to- his son-in-law and retired 
to Plymouth. In 1890 Mrs. Dawson died. Five years later Mr. Dawson 
returned to his farm, having been married on June 28, 1806, to< Miss Dora 



74Q CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Doty, who was a native of Ashland county, and she was a daughter of James 
Doty, also of that county. To his former marriage five children were born, 
as follows: Ada A., deceased; Elmer Lincoln, a farmer of Richland county; 
Ef.'le R., the wife of Howard Clark, a farmer of Richland county; Emma R., 
the wife of Andrew Trobridge, of Chicago; and Ida May, who resides with 
her sister Effie. 

In politics Air. Dawson is numbered among the stanch Republicans of 
Auburn township. Socially he is a valued member of the Auburn Grange, 
Patrons of Husbandry, while he has long been one of the leading members of 
the Methodist church, in which he is a steward. His farm shows the personal 
care and attention that has been given it and is an example of what skilled 
farming can accomplish. He is one of the highly respected citizens of this 
locality and is well and favorably known over a wide section. 

THOMAS B. EXDSLOW. 

The history of mankind is replete with illustrations of the fact that it is 
only under the pressure of adversity and the stimulus of opposition that the 
best and strongest in men are brought out and developed. Perhaps the his- 
tory of no people so 1 forcibly impresses one with this truth as the annals of our 
own republic. If anything can inspire the youth of our country to persistent, 
honest and laudable endeavor it should be the life record of such men as he 
of whom we write. The example of the illustrious few of our countrymen, who 
have risen from obscurity to the highest positions in the gift of the nation, 
serves often to awe our young men rather than inspire them to emulation, 
because they reason that only a few can ever attain such eminence; but the 
history of such men as Thomas P>. Endslow proves conclusively that with a 
reasonable amount of mental and physical power success is bound eventually 
to crown the endeavor of those who have the ambition to put forth their best 
efforts and the will and manliness to persevere therein. 

Thomas B. Enslow was born in Lykens township, Crawford county. May 
6, 1850, and is a son of William and Eliza (Junk) Endslow, of whose family 
of eight children five are yet living. The Endslows are of English lineage. 
William Endslow, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was a native of 
the Merrie Isle, but when a young man crossed the briny deep to the new 
world, settling' in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, where he followed farming. 
His wife was Mrs. Margaret Endslow, and among their children was William 
Endslow, Jr., whose birth occurred in Juniata county, in 1803. In his youth 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 74 1 

he learned the trade of wagon-making, and when he had attained his majority 
he chose as a companion and helpmate for the journey of life Miss Eliza Junk. 
In 183 1, accompanied by his wife and one child, who was born in the Keystone 
state, he made his way to Ohio, settling in Richland county, near Shelby, which 
was then a small hamlet of two houses and a blacksmith shop. He there erected 
a wagon-maker's shop, but after two or three years came to Crawford county 
and purchased eighty acres of land in Lykens township, turning his attention 
to agricultural pursuits. The journey thither was made by way of Xew Wash- 
ington, which was also in the period of inception, containing but two dwellings. 
Air. Endslow and his brother-in-law erected his first residence of poles, the 
house being twelve by eighteen feet. It was completed in a day and at once fur* 
nished shelter for the family. Later they covered the poles with clapboards on 
the front and sides and plastered the house with straw and mud. This served 
as the family residence for only a year or two, after which Mr. Endslow erected 
a substantial hevved-log house. He made his home until his death, which oc- 
curred in 1876, upon the farm which he there developed, but in the meantime 
he erected four other houses, the last being a commodious frame residence, 
erected some time in the '50s. His wild land was transformed into richly 
cultivated fields that brought to him golden harvests in return for his plowing 
and planting. In his political views he was a Democrat and in religious faith 
was first a Presbyterian, but afterward became a, member of the Seceders 
church. During the many years of his residence upon his farm he devoted 
much of his time to his trade, and thus the care of the fields developed largely 
upon his children. The five surviving members of the family are : Margaret, 
who is now living in Crawford county, Kansas; William, a miller of Columbus, 
Ohio; Samuel; Eliza, now the wife of R. K. Williams, an agriculturist of 
Seneca county ; and Thomas B. 

No event of special importance occurred to change the usual routine of 
farm life for Thomas B. Endslow. He was a student in the district schools 
through the winter season and made a hand in the fields through the summer 
months. At the age of twenty, however, he left the parental roof and became 
an apprentice to the miller's trade, serving in a mill near Loudonville. After 
three years there passed he came to New Washington and was employed in 
the mill which he now operates. Two years later he acquired an interest in 
the business, which he retained until 1885, when he removed to Aberdeen, 
Brown county, where he rented a mill for a year. That property was then 
sold, after which Mr. Endslow worked on a salary until 1890, when he re- 
turned to New Washington and purchased the mill in which he had formerly 



742 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

been employed and which he now conducts. He is doing- a good business, his 
patronage steadily increasing, which calls for an enlarged output. 

In 1876 was celebrated the marriage of Air. Endslow and Miss Sarah 
Springer, of Crawford county, a daughter of George W. Springer, a prominent 
farmer who resided in this locality, but is now deceased. The marriage of Mr. 
and Mrs. Endslow has been blessed with four children, namely : Maud L., 
now the wife of Dr. H. G. Blaine, of Attica, Ohio; B. Clyde, who is in the 
mill with his father; \Y. Lloyd, an engineer in the mill; and Myrtle B. The 
mother of this family was called to her final rest in 1892, and in September, 
1896, Mr. Endslow was again married, his second union being with Miss Lydia 
Evert, a native of Crawford county. In his political views he is a Democrat, 
and, though not an office seeker, he was elected and served for three terms, 
in the early '80s, as township clerk, while at the present writing he is a mem- 
ber of the board of cotmcilmen of Xew Washington. To those who are fa- 
miliar with his history it is needless to say that his duties were ever discharged 
with promptness and fidelity. He holds membership relations with the Meth- 
odist church and is serving as one of its trustees. Fraternally he is connected 
with Hyperion Lodge, No. 651, K. P.. of which he became a charter member 
and in which he has filled all the offices. In all life's relations he has been 
found true to duty and to every obligation. His life record is commendable 
in that he owes his advancement to his unflagging energy and perseverance, 
and to the fact that he has ever conducted all business transactions along the 
lines of strict commercial ethics. 

ISAAC HOSLER. 

Isaac Hosier is now serving as mayor of Xew Washington, and the city 
has found him a capable, energetic and faithful official, having a just appre- 
ciation of the duties that devolve upon him and discharging them with prompt- 
ness and ability. He was born in Seneca county, Ohio, at the old family home- 
stead in Bloom township. May 11, -1840, his parents being Jonas and Cath- 
erine (Troxel) Hosier. The grandfather of our subject, Christian Hosier, 
was a native of York county, Pennsylvania, and was of Pennsylvania Dutch 
ancestry. In the place of his nativity he was reared and learned the trade of 
a cooper. He married a Miss Gensler and followed his chosen vocation in his 
native county until 1824, when he emigrated with his family to Ohio, settling 
in Stark county, where he carried on the coopering business until within the 
last five vears of his life. His wife died and then he went to live with his son 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 743 

Jonas, in whose home he remained until called to his final rest, when about sev- 
enty-five years of age. 

Jonas Hosier, the father of our subject, was born in York county, Penn- 
sylvania, March 1 14, 1810, and spent his boyhood days in his parents' home, 
learning the coopering business with his father ere the removal of the family to 
Ohio. As his parents were in but moderate circumstances Jonas Hosier and 
his elder brother worked for the neighboring farmers during the early years 
of their residence in the Buckeye state. The father of our subject entered 
the employ of Mr. Troxel, whose daughter he afterward married. Subse- 
quently he and his brother-in-law engaged in the operation of the Troxel farm 
on the shares, but soon after his marriage, which occurred in 1832, he went to 
Seneca county in search of a home for his bride. While there he entered one 
hundred and sixty acres of land and two years later he removed his wife and 
two children to the log cabin which he had erected in the forest. There he 
developed an excellent farm, making it one of the best agricultural properties 
in the county. He continued its cultivation until 1863, when he sold and pur- 
chased a farm of one hundred and three acres in Chatlield township, Crawford 
county, where he died August 30, 1875. He was a very energetic man, of 
strong purposes and keen discrimination in business and thereby won a com- 
fortable competence. In his political views he was a stalwart Democrat, but 
office holding had no attractions for him. His life was in harmony with his 
professions as a member of the German Lutheran church and he was one of 
the most highly esteemed men of his community. He married Miss Catherine 
Troxel and they became the parents of nine children, seven of whom are yet 
living', namely : Peter, a farmer of Defiance county, Ohio ; Amanda, wife of 
Elias Miller, an agriculturist of Fulton county, Indiana ; Isaac, of this review ; 
Mathilda, wife of William Cummings, Sr., of New Washington; Malinda, 
wife of John Donnenwirth, a former postmaster of New Washington, and now 
resides in Bucyrus ; Minerva, the widow of Jacob Haas, of Wyandot county, 
Ohio; and Elizabeth, who married Conrad Kahler, a resident of Kosciusko 
county, Indiana. 

In taking up the personal history of Isaac Hosier we present to our reader 
the life record of one who is widely and favorably known in the Buckeye state, 
where he has always resided. His boyhood days were quietly passed on the 
home farm, and during- that period he acquired only a limited common-school 
education, for his services were needed in the work of the fields. When he 
was twenty years of age he and his brother Peter took charge of the old home- 
stead, which they operated on the shares for three years. In the summer of 



744 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

1863 Mr. Hosier, of this review, had charge of the harvesting of the crops 
and worked at various other occupations, such as brick-making and threshing. 
In the spring of 1864, in company with five others, he started by wagon across 
the plains for California, leaving Bucyrus on the 1st of April. The travelers 
arrived in Austin, Nevada, on the 2nd of July, and there stopped for a couple 
of weeks. One of their number died while in that place. When the party left 
Austin Mr. Hosier remained behind and after two weeks' work in the silver 
mines took charge of some horses and mules on a stock ranch, his time being 
thus occupied during the fall and winter. In the spring of 1865 he began work 
in the salt marshes, about thirty miles from Austin, and in the fall of 1865 he 
went with a freight train to Colfax, California. After reaching that place he. 
proceeded to Sacramento, over the Union Pacific Railroad, and from there, by 
river, to San Francisco. He spent about a week in the latter city and then 
took passage on a steamer going by the "Keystone" route. He crossed a lake 
in Central America, thence proceeded by way of the San Juan river to the 
Caribbean sea — the present proposed route of the Nicaraguan canal. He ar- 
rived in New York about a month after leaving San Francisco and at once 
continued on his way to his home. After two months spent upon the farm 
Mr. Hosier proceeded to Bucyrus and during the six succeeding years was em- 
ployed as engineer in the Bucyrus Woolen Mills. In 1872, in connection with 
his brother-in-law, John Donnenwirth, Mr. Hosier came to New Washington 
and opened a tinshop, which they conducted for four years, when they sold 
their business, and through the two succeeding years our subject followed 
various pursuits. In 1878 he accepted a position in the tinshop, where he re- 
mained until 1900, but at the present time he is devoting his entire time and at- 
tention to his official duties. 

While residing in Bucyrus Mr. Hosier was united in marriage, in 1867. to 
Miss Teresa Rook, a native of Alsace, Germany, a daughter of Phillip and 
Magdalena Rook, who came to America, locating in Ohio about 1854. In 
his political views the subject of this review is a stalwart Democrat and at 
various times has served for ten years as a member of the town council of 
New Washington. Entirely without his solicitation, in the spring of 1899, he 
was nominated and elected to the office of mayor, and in the spring of 1901 
he was again nominated in a district where a Democratic nomination is equiva- 
lent to an election. He has proved a capable executive, laboring earnestly for 
the best interests of the people and exercises his official prerogatives in sup- 
port of all measures and movements for the reform and progress of the city. 
He belongs to Cranberry Lodge, No. 441, I. O. O. F., has filled all its offices 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 745 

and for seventeen consecutive years was secretary, to which position he has 
again been re-elected. Although not a church member, he contributes liberally 
to religious work and withholds his support and co-operation from no move- 
ment or measure for the general good. His fidelity to principle, his earnest 
purpose and his unquestioned honesty have gained for him the unfaltering- 
confidence and high regard of the people among whom his lot has been cast. 

CHARLES MAHON. 

It is the enterprise and character of the citizens that enrich and ennoble 
the commonwealth. From individual enterprise has sprung all the splendor and 
importance of this great west. The greatest merchants have developed from 
the humblest origins. From clerkships have emerged men who have built great 
enterprises. America is a self-made country, and those who have created it are 
self-made men. No influence of birth or fortune have favored the architects of 
her glory. Among those who have achieved prominence as men of marked 
ability and substantial worth in Crawford county is the subject of this sketch, 
Charles Mahon, who occupies a prominent position. He is now proprietor of 
a saw and planing-mill in Xew Washington and is accounted one of the lead- 
ing representatives of industrial interests in this portion of Crawford county. 

Mr. Mahon was born in Weller township, Richland county, July 24, 1843, 
and is a son of John and Margaret (Steward) Mahon. The family was es- 
tablished in Ohio during the pioneer epoch in the history of the state. The 
father was born in Weller township. Richland county, and was a son of James 
Mahon, a native of Ireland, who came to America soon after his marriage and 
established a home in Weller township, on Chestnut Hill, being one of the 
first residents of that portion of the state. Mansfield then contained but three 
houses and the country for miles around was in its primitive condition, the 
forests standing in their primeval strength, unmarked by roads made by the 
white man or by the habitations of early settlers. Mr. Mahon entered three 
hundred and twenty acres of land and built a round-log house. He began 
clearing his land and was connected with the work of cultivating the fields up 
to the time of his death. Amid the wild scenes of pioneer life on the old fam- 
ilv homestead John Mahon was reared, and in the common schools of the neigh- 
borhood he acquired his education. He married Miss Margaret Steward, who 
was also born in W r eller township and was a daughter of Charles Steward, 
whose birth occurred in the Emerald Isle. Soon after his marriage he, too, 
sought a home in the new world and became a resident of Weller township, tak- 



746 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ing- up his abode on Black Fork. He entered one hundred and sixty acres of 
land from the government, cleared and improved the property and in the early 
days experienced all the hardships and privations which fall to the lot of the 
early settlers. They established a home in the wilderness and laid the founda- 
tion for the present prosperity and progress of the community. He continued 
in Weller township until called to the home beyond. He was a Presbyterian in 
religious faith and was a very active and influential member of the church. 

After his marriage John Mahon located upon a portion of the old home- 
stead, having received eighty acres of the farm as his patrimony, the grand- 
father having died when his son was only three years of age. Until 1859 John 
Mahon continued to cultivate his fields at that point and then sold the prop- 
erty, removing with his family to Crawford county, locating on the southeast 
corner of Cranberry township. He purchased one hundred and twenty acres 
of land, and the farm which he there improved and developed was his place 
of residence until his life's labors were ended in death. His political support 
was unswervingly given to the Democracy, and for several terms he served as 
township trustee, discharging his duties in a prompt and capable manner. He 
was quite active in church work, holding membership with the Methodist de- 
nomination. In early days he was for a number of years a member of the 
state militia and throughout his entire life was a man of influence and prom- 
inent in his community. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Mahon were born ten children, 
of whom five are yet living, namely: Charles; Millie, the widow of William 
Striker, of Cranberry township ; Barger, of the same township ; John, who is 
living near Bloomville, Ohio; and Jennie, the wife of David Smith, of Shelby, 
Ohio. 

To the common-school system of Ohio Charles Mahon is indebted for the 
educational privileges which were afforded him in his youth. During the Civil 
war he was drafted for service, but owing to the objections raised by his par- 
ents he did not go to the front, although it was his desire to aid his country 
in her struggle to preserve the Union. As is usual with young men when they 
start out upon a business career he sought a companion and helpmate for the 
journey of life, and on the 28th of July, 1866, was united in marriage to- Miss 
Hannah M. Shilling, a native of Cranberry township and a daughter of David 
Shilling, who emigrated from Pennsylvania to Ohio when Mrs. Mahon was a 
little child of only two years. The journey was made by wagon and often 
led through dense forests. In the Keystone state her father had followed 
teaming, but soon after his arrival in Crawford county he turned his attention 
to farming. The same pursuit claimed the energies of Mr. Mahon after his 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 747 

marriage, and he began his labors as an agriculturist upon a tract of eighty 
acres, near the old homestead. About a year later, however, he sold that prop- 
erty and purchased another eighty-acre tract a mile to the north, residing there- 
on for six or seven years. After disposing of that property he became the 
owner of eighty acres, one mile east and a half mile north of New Wash- 
ington, and there engaged in the tilling of the fields until 1885, when he once 
more sold his farm and in that year became a resident of the town. He pur- 
chased a half interest in a saw and planing-mill, which, in connection with his 
partner, Anthony Herman, he has since conducted. The business has proven 
a profitable one under the capable management of the owners and now furnishes 
employment to twelve or more workmen. They manufacture lumber, and do 
all kinds of planing mill work, and their business has steadily increased, both in 
volume and importance. 

The home of Mr. and Airs. Marion has been blessed with four children, 
of whom three are yet living, namely: John I., who is employed by the mill- 
ing firm ; Marinda M. and Lettie F., both at home. The parents hold member- 
ship in the Methodist Episcopal church, and for fifteen years Mr. Mahon has 
served as class-leader, steward and trustee. Socially he is connected with 
Cranberry Lodge, No. 441. 1. O. O. F., in which he has passed all of the 
chairs. Fie is likewise a member of Rex Tent, No. 229, K. O. T. M., in which 
he has filled all the offices, at the present time serving as commander. His 
political support is given the Democracy, and for nine years he has been a 
member of the school board. However, he is not an office seeker, and has 
steadily refused to allow his name to be placed on the ticket at a candidate 
for office. In the latter part of the 70s, however, he was elected township 
trustee, and popular suffrage has continued him in the position for three terms. 
He ranks among the progressive and representative men of the county. Of 
verile strength and strong purpose, he has carried forward to successful comple- 
tion whatever he has undertaken, and his labors have brought to him a com- 
fortable competence. 

FREDERICK CARLE. 

Frederick Carle is a manufacturer of and dealer in buggies and wagons 
in New Washington and als< 1 c< inducts a horse-shoeing and general repair shop. 
Industry is a most potent element in securing success and this principle is 
well exemplified in the life of Mr. Carle, who is a most energetic man, indolence 
and idleness being utterly foreign to his nature. He is classed among the rep- 



748 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

resentative German-American citizens of Crawford county, his birth having 
occurred in Oberheinrieth, Wurtemberg, Germany, August 16, i860, his parents 
being Christian and Barbara (Loehle) Carle, of whose family of six sons 
four are yet living, namely : William, a carpenter of Bucyrus, Ohio ; Frederick ; 
and Henry and Ernest, both of whom are residents of Newark, New Jersey. 
The father was also a native of the same village in which occurred the birth 
of our subject. He was born May 5, 1806, and died May 16, 1888. His first 
wife was a Miss Weik and they became the parents of six children, four sons 
and two daughters, of whom one is yet living, namely, Gottlieb, of Stutt- 
gart, Ohio. The mother died October 26, 1858, and the father afterward mar- 
ried Miss Barbara Loehle. He continued farm work until 1836, when he was 
appointed keeper of the forest, which important position he filled for a period 
of thirty-two years. He then retired to farm life. In 1867 Gottlieb Carle, 
the son of the first marriage, came to America, and in 1872 William, the eldest 
of the children of the second marriage, crossed the Atlantic, taking up his 
abode in Bucyrus, Ohio. The glowing accounts of the country tempted our 
subject to cast his fortunes in the golden land of promise, and in 1880, just 
prior to the time when he would have been forced to enter military life in the 
fatherland, he sailed for America. In 1881 Christian Carle, the father, and the 
other members of the family also came to the new world, taking up their abode 
in Bucyrus, and Frederick and his brother William were then single and 
boarded at home. After the marriage of our subjecct, however, the parents 
broke up housekeeping and made their home with him until called to their final 
rest. The mother, who was born September 16, 1826, in Untergruppenbach, 
Heilbron, Wurtemberg, died on Thanksgiving day in 1897, while the father 
passed away about nine years previous. 

Frederick Carle, whose name introduces this record, pursued his educa- 
tion in the public schools of his native land until fourteen years of age, when he 
was apprenticed to learn the blacksmith's trade. On the completion of his 
three-years' term of service he worked as a journeyman until 1880, when he 
resolved to seek a home in the new world and, on the 29th of July, embarked 
on the steamer Niederland at Antwerben, which, after fourteen days spent on 
the Atlantic, dropped anchor in the harbor of New York, on the 12th of August. 
Mr. Carle first set foot on American soil in the metropolis, and after visiting 
his sister in Newark, New Jersey, he came direct to Crawford county, taking 
up his abode in Bucyrus, where he worked at his trade for three vears in the 
employ of Phillip Sager. On the 1st of October, 1883, he opened a shop of 
his own and did a general repair business in connection with horse-shoeing. He 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 749 

also engaged in wagon manufacturing and thus continued operations until 
1897, when, desiring" to increase the scope of his work and being unable to 
secure suitable quarters where he was, he purchased the business of Charles 
Vollmer, in Xew Washington. In the intervening four years he has done a 
gradually increasing business and now has a large trade, which brings him 
a good financial return. He is numbered among the progressive business 
men of the town and his patronage has attained considerable magnitude, so 
that he now has in his employ one carriage trimmer, one carriage painter and 
two blacksmiths. 

On the 7th of October, 1883, Mr. Carle was united in marriage to Miss 
Catherine R. Pfeifer, a native of Bucyrus and a daughter of Christian and 
Maria (Schwalb) Pfeifer, both of whom were natives of Germany, the farmer 
coming to America in 1856, the latter in 1857. Th e father is now one of the 
prominent shoe merchants of Bucyrus. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Carle 
has been blessed with four children, but they lost their first born, Minnie. 
The others are: Frederick C, born March 2, 1889; Elmer R., born July 15, 
1892; and Howard E., born July 25, 1897. 

Mr. Carle is one of the stalwart supporters of the Democracy, inflexible 
in his adherence to its principles and while in Bucyrus he served one term as a 
member of the city council. He is not, however, an office-seeker, preferring 
to devote his energies to his business affairs. He and his wife are members 
of the German Lutheran church, and he belongs to the Duetsche Gesllschaft 
Society in Bucyrus. He was president of the organization for four years, and 
for six years was one of its trustees. He is likewise a member of Hyperion 
Lodge, No. 651, K. P., of New Washington, and enjoys the high regard of 
his brethren of the fraternity, while in business circles he sustains an unassail- 
able reputation and in social life he has many friends. 

ISAAC PFLEIDERER. 

A worthy representative of an old and honored Crawford county agri- 
cultural family is found in Isaac Pfleiderer, one of the progressive and success- 
ful fanners of Liberty township. Mr. Pfleiderer was born in this township on 
August 4, i860, a son of David and Mary ( Hickenlively) Pfleiderer. (The 
full ancestry of the Pfleiderer family may be found in another part of this 
volume. ) 

Our subject grew to manhood on the family homestead, acquiring his 
education in the public schools and adding to it by a very liberal course of 



75o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

reading. His marriage was on February 21, 1883, at which time Miss Mary 
Alice E. Charlton became his wife. She is a native of Hardin county, Ohio, a 
daughter of Thomas and Matilda ( Hite) Charlton and a granddaughter of 
Henry Charlton, who came to Crawford county from Maryland when still a 
voung man. After his marriage Mr. Pfleiderer settled on his present farm, 
which was purchased at that time, in partnership with his brother Jacob and 
his father, and our subject conducted it as a renter until 1898, when he be- 
came its sole owner. He is one of the thorough agriculturists of this locality 
and understands all matters pertaining to rotation of crops, drainage and the 
various foods needed for the different grains he desires to cultivate, his pros- 
perity testifying to the merit of his excellent methods. Since 1883 he has been 
engaged in buying and selling horses and this has proved a very successful line 
of business. 

Three children have been born to Air. and Mrs. Pfleiderer, these being: 
Edna Belle, who is attending high school in Sulphur Springs, has passed the 
Boxwell examination; Gusta M., also at her studies in the high school, has like- 
wise passed the Boxwell examination; and Fred M., who is at home. 

The political affiliations of our subject have always been with the Demo- 
cratic party and he has efficiently served two terms as township assessor. At 
present he is acting as township clerk and for sixteen years has been a valuable 
member of the school board and has been clerk of the district ever since his 
election. During five years he served as president of the board. Mr. Pfleiderer 
for several years was the central committeeman from his district and for six 
years was a member of the Crawford county agricultural board, of which 
he is still a member. He has been identified with the business, s< >cial 
and political life of the township in a greater degree than almost any 
other man of his years, and has shown ability in every position in which he 
has been placed. Both he and wife are consistent members of the English 
Lutheran church of Sulphur Springs. Personally he is of a genial, pleasant 
nature, and with his amiable wife delights to show hospitality to his friends. 

SAMUEL B. KOONS. 

Samuel B. Koons is one of the leading men of Liberty township. Craw- 
ford county, and was born in Sandusky township on November 17, 1840, on 
the farm which is the second one east of his own at the present time. His 
parents were Abraham and Jane (Mills) Koons, who reared a family of 
fourteen children, twelve of whom still survive, as follows : Ann E., single,. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 75* 

a resident of Sulphur Springs; Mary M., the widow of Rev. R. Armstrong, of 
Cowley county, Kansas ; Sarah J., the wife of Frank Moore, of Lansing", Mich- 
igan ; David, of Leipsic, Putnam county, Ohio ; Martha E., the widow of Madi- 
son Roberts, of southern California; Samuel B., of this sketch; Harriet L., 
the widow of Joseph Stephenson, of Missouri; Benjamin F., for the last eleven 
years president of the State Agricultural College of Mansfield, Connecticut;. 
Catherine, the wife of Rev. Pope, of Oberlin, Ohio; Robert P., a practicing 
physician of Lone Jack, Missouri; Oliver ],, physician and surgeon, of Brook- 
lyn, New York; and Francis M., of Toledo, Ohio. 

Abraham Koons was born in Philadelphia about 1773 and lived to be. 
ninety-six years old, dying in 1869. His first wife was Susan Schrader, by 
whom he had thirteen children, all of whom are now deceased. The father 
of Abraham was one of three brothers who came from Germany to America 
at an early day, bringing with them a sum of ten thousand dollars, with 
which they engaged in the brewery business in Philadelphia, during the Revo- 
lution. On the death of Grandfather Koons, the two brothers were made 
guardians of his children, and when Philadelphia was threatened by the British 
the Koons brothers converted the property into money and departed and were 
never located until after the death of Father Koons, and by that time all of the 
documents pertaining to the case were lost and the children of Abraham never 
received any share. The latter was but a child at the death of his father and he 
was bound out to work for a neighbor, but as he was not treated well there he 
ran away, at the age of seven years, and supported himself in unknown ways 
until he became a youth old enough to learn the carpenter's trade. After he 
had thoroughly learned the trades of carpenter and millwright, which were 
then combined, he worked for a number of years in and about Philadelphia,, 
and in 1829, learning of the rich lands to be had in ( )hio, he came to Richland 
county and purchased eighty acres, and pursued both farming and work at his, 
trade. Seven years later he disposed of his property there to advantage, and 
located in Sandusky township, in Crawford county. Here he first purchased 
one hundred and sixty acres and later added thirty-seven acres, and resided in 
that township until the time of his death, in [869. lie was reared near the Penn- 
sylvania and Maryland line, and after coming to Ohio' was often heard to 
predict that there would be a war between the north and the south, although 
he might not see it. In early life he was a Democrat, but later, when he came 
to a thorough understanding of the slavery question from personal observa- 
tion, he became an ardent Republican. For many years he was a consistent 
member of the United Brethren church. 

42 



752 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Samuel B. Koons grew up on his father's farm and his school oppor- 
tunities were very limited. His father had large stuck interests and he was 
obliged to look after them, while his brothers and sisters, coming later, were 
educated at Oberlin College. When he was about twenty years old the Civil 
war broke out and with three of his brothers he entered into the service of his 
county. David entered Company B, of the Eighth Ohio, enlisting as a private 
and leaving the service as a captain; Benjamin was a corporal in Company H, 
One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio; and William, now deceased, was a 
member of an Indiana regiment. Our subject enlisted on August 15, 1861, in 
Company C, Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was sent from Fort 
Dennison to Louisville, taking part in all of the battles of the Army of the 
Cumberland, until the terrible struggle of Missionary Ridge, where he was 
wounded. The accident happened from the Union artillery, the block between 
the powder and the ball striking him in the back of the head, on the morning 
after the taking of Orchard Knob, November 24, 1863. For the succeeding 
eighteen days our subject lay unconscious in the hospital at Chattanooga, and 
after thirty days was sent home on furlough, where he remained until March 
i, 1864. During this time the regiment had become veterans and they were 
home on furlough, and when they returned to the front one of the most de- 
termined soldiers was our subject. When he had reached Buzzards' Roost, his 
enlistment having expired, he was sent back to Chattanooga, later to Nashville, 
thence to Jeffersonville. and on September 5, 1864, was mustered out of the 
service at Columbus, Ohio. 

On the following 24th of November our subject was married to Miss 
Maggie Stevenson, a native of Seneca county, Ohio, the daughter of John 
Stevenson, who was born in Pennsylvania. The latter came to Seneca county 
at an early day. Soon after marriage the young couple settled on his father's 
farm, in an extra house, where they lived comfortably for three years, while 
Samuel cultivated his father's land on shares, but in 1868 the opportunity 
came to purchase a desirable tract of seventy-one acres, this being the present 
home farm, and here the family has since resided. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Koons six children have been born, all of them being 
well known and popular members of society, viz. : Clarence, a farmer of Rich- 
land county; Virgil, a letter carrier in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Jennie, 
at home; Mat, at home; Ray, a teacher in the public schools, at home; and 
Inez, also' a teacher, living at home. Mr. Koons has always been a verv 
ardent Republican and has been active in work for his party. He has taken 
an intelligent interest in educational matters and has been a valuable member 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 753 

of the school board for several years, always advocating every measure which 
has promised to be of general benefit. He is a member of the G. A. R., and 
bears a fine record for gallantry during his term of service. His standing in 
the community is that of an honest, upright citizen, who well represents 
Crawford county. 

CASSIUS C. HELLER. 

During almost the whole of his business life Cassius C. Heller, of this 
biography, has been engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was born on the 
farm in Liberty township, Crawford county, upon which he now resides, on 
April 5, 1857, a son of Jonathan and Susanna (Spade) Heller. His parents 
had a family of seven children, and six of these still survive, these being : Byron 
F., a carpenter and builder in Bucyrus, Ohio; Cynthia E., the wife of A. \Y. 
Tustison, of Bucyrus; Elizabeth, the wife of Philip Thoman, of Gabon, Ohio; 
Cassius C. ; William L., a farmer of Sandusky township; and Hattie M., the 
wife of B. F. Robison, of Bucyrus. 

Jonathan Heller, the father of our subject, was born in Dauphin county, 
Pennsylvania, on January 26, 1823, a son of Jacob and Elizabeth Heller, both 
natives of Pennsylvania. They came to Ohio when their son was but nine years 
old and settled on the farm now occupied by Jacob Pfleiderer, but later re- 
moved to the one now owned by Mr. Harringer, in section 33, and here the 
father died. When a young man he had learned the carpenter's trade and once 
made a walking trip back to Pennsylvania, working by the way, finally cover- 
ing the four hundred miles in this way. After his marriage, on March 11, 
1847, he lived for some years on one of his father's farms, but later purchased 
the farm now owned by his son, where he died on March 22, 1892. The mother 
of our subject was born in Portage county, Ohio, on November 18, 1830, a 
daughter of Jacob and Susanna (Hazel) Spade, both of them natives of 
Pennsylvania, who were among the early settlers of Portage count)", where 
they located, in 1842 coming to Crawford county, where they lived until the 
time of their death, when in advanced years. Mr. Heller was a consistent 
and valued member of the United Brethren church and for several years was 
one of the trustees. In politics he was an active Democrat and in early life 
efficiently filled many of the minor offices. Mr. Heller was one of the highly 
respected old citizens of the county who left behind him an unblemished name. 

Our subject grew up surrounded by excellent home influences and ob- 
tained his education in the district schools of his locality. In 1881 he was 
united in marriage to Miss Sarah M. Crum, the daughter of David Crum, of 



754 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Sulphur Springs, whose biography is given elsewhere. For the two years 
following his marriage Mr. Heller farmed for his father, but in 1883 he rented 
what is known as the Moderwell farm, located one mile east of the home farm, 
and for three years successfully operated this estate. Then he removed to his 
father-in-law's land and there continued farming for eight years, and then 
came back, in 1896, to the home farm and took charge of it for his mother. 
In the spring of 1900 he purchased this most desirable property and now has 
one of the choice farms of Crawford county. 

To Mr. and Airs. Heller two children have been born : Orpha Grace and 
Mary Ruth. Air. Heller has taken a very active interest in politics, and in 
national ajTairs votes with the Democratic party, but in local affairs he votes 
as his judgment indicates. As an earnest and capable worker and a conscien- 
tious and worth}' Christian, Air. Heller is widely known in the United Brethren 
church, having been a trustee for the past four years, and for a long period has 
been the efficient superintendent of the Sabbath-school. He seems to possess 
the ability which enables him to organize, and the school connected with this 
church reflects great credit upon him. In all his affairs he displays an energy 
and thoroughness which have done much to place him in the estimation of his 
neighbors as one of their best representatives. 

WEBB J. KELLY. 

The world instinctively pays deference to the man whose success has been 
worthily achieved, who has attained wealth by honorable business methods, ac- 
quired the highest reputation is his chosen calling by merit, and whose social 
prominence is not less the result of an irreproachable life than of recognized 
natural gifts. YVe pay the highest tribute to the heroes who on blood)' battle- 
fields win victories and display a valor that is the admiration of the world : why 
should the tribute be withheld from those who wage the bloodless battles of 
civil life, who are conquerers in the world of business? Greater than in almost 
any line of work is the responsibility that rests upon the physician. The is- 
sues of life and death are in his hands. A false prescription, an unskilled 
operation, may take from man that which he prizes above all else — life. The 
physician's power must be his own; not by purchase, by gift or by influence 
can he gain it. He must commence at the very beginning, learn the very rudi- 
ments of medicine and surgery, continually add to his knowledge by close study 
and earnest application and gain reputation by merit. If he would gain the 
highest prominence it must come as the result of superior skill, knowledge and 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 755 

ability., and ihose qualities are possessed in an eminent degree by Dr. Kelly. 
He is known throughout the country as one of the most eminent members of 
the profession, and his opinions are recognized as authority throughout a great 
portion of America. The life history of such a man is always of profit as 
well as interest. 

Dr. Kelly was born in Gabon. His father, Harmon Rockerfeller Kelly, 
M. D., for many years a prominent and successful physician in this place, was 
born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, in 1834, and there spent his boy- 
hood days. He pursued his education in the Ohio Wesleyan University, mak- 
ing his own way through college. He thus displayed the elemental strength of 
his character, which in later years developed into a stalwart and resolute man- 
hood, enabling him to maintain a foremost place in the ranks of his chosen 
calling. He was graduated in Starling Medical College, of Columbus, in the 
class of 1856, and from that time until i860 engaged in practice at West 
Point, in Morrow county, five miles south of Galion. For many years he 
performed all the important surgical work in this portion of the state. In 1870 
he was appointed surgeon for the Erie Railroad Company, then the Atlantic 
& Great Western Railway Company, and did the active work for that corpora- 
tion until 1880, when his son, Dr. Webb J. Kelly, was appointed to the po- 
sition and the father became consulting surgeon. For thirty years the fa- 
ther and son acted as surgeons for the road. Plerman R. Kelly was united in 
marriage to Miss Mary Keech, who was of Quaker family and was of Scotch 
descent. Her maternal grandfather, Mr. Bebb, was an architect in Phila- 
delphia, and constructed the first water works there. He was also the architect 
for Stephen Girard and was a Welsh Quaker. 

Dr. Kelley, whose name introduces this record, pursued his education in 
the schools of Galion and was graduated in the high school with the class of 
1874. He afterward entered the Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, 
where he completed his literary course, and then, determining to make the 
practice of medicine his life work, he entered Starling Medical College, where 
he was graduated in 1889. Desiring to still further qualify himself for his 
chosen calling, he then entered Bellevue Medical College, of New York, in 
which he was graduated in 1880, when in his twenty-first year. In March of 
that year he was appointed surgeon for the Cincinnati division of the Erie 
Railroad, from Kent to Dayton. Since 1885 he has been surgeon for the Big 
Four Railroad Company, being the only physician to hold that position be- 
tween Delaware and Cleveland. His knowledge of anatomy is remarkably com- 
prehensive and accurate. Added to this is a logical mind, cool nerve and steady 



756 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

muscles, without which the surgeon never wins success. His ability in sur- 
gical work has advanced him far beyond mediocrity, and he is to-day recognized 
as one of the most capable representatives of that branch of the profession in 
the country. He has performed almost every surgical operation of importance 
in Galion county for a number of years and has treated over five thousand 
injured railroad men. For seven years prior to 1900 he was one of the lec- 
turers in the Ohio Medical College, of Columbus. He is now associate editor of 
the Xew York Medical Legal Journal and is national agent of the Xew 
York Medico-Legal Society. He is a member of the American Medical As- 
sociation, also of the American Medical Academy, the Railway Surgeons and 
the National Association of Railway Surgeons. 

Mr. Kelly married Miss Kate M. Grandy, a daughter of Rev. I. B. and 
Julia ( Lee) Grandy. Her father was a Universalist minister and a representa- 
tive of a prominent and distinguished Xew England family, while her mother 
was a granddaughter of General Robert E. Lee. Unto the Doctor and his 
wife have been born two children, — Rufus and Dessa. The parents hold mem- 
bership in the Presbyterian church, and the Doctor is connected with the In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Masonic 
fraternity. The Doctor is a social, genial gentleman, interested in all that per- 
tains to his community, is charitable and benevolent, and worthy demands of 
the needy are seldom made in vain. He has a large circle of warm friends, and 
his friendship is best prized by those who know him best. In his professional 
capacity Dr. Kelly is known throughout the country, his reputation extending 
far beyond the limits of his state, an honor to the profession, by which he has 
been especially distinguished. 

HEXRY B. GREEX. 

Henry B. Green, who is serving as engineer with the Pennsylvania Rail- 
road, makes his home at Crestline, Ohio. He was born in Ashland county, on 
the 1 6th of February, 1849, and represents one of the pioneer families of that 
locality. His grandfather had thirteen quarter sections of land, which he di- 
vided into thirteen farms and gave them to his thirteen children. Thomas 
W. Green, the father of our subject, was born in Maryland, and when a young 
man became a resident of the Buckeye state, where he followed farming and 
milling. He wedded Mary Kilinger, a native of Center county, Pennsylvania, 
but who went to Ashland county when twelve years of age. There they were 
married, and their union was blessed with a family of eleven children, namely : 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 757 

Noah, George and Olive, who are now deceased ; William, Alary, Sarah, Anna, 
I [enry B. and four who died in infancy. The father at the time of the Civil 
war offered his services to the government and remained in the army until 
1865, when he died from exposure and hardships. His wife, long surviving 
him, passed away in 1887. 

Henry B. Green is the youngest of their children. He was reared in 
Ashland and Wayne counties and enjoyed the educational privileges afforded 
by the common schools. He entered the railroad service as an employe on the 
Erie Railroad, working at anything he could get to do in order to support his 
mother. In the meantime he learned telegraphy and eventually became an 
operator on the Grand Trunk Railroad. In 1878 he hecame a fireman on the 
Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, and in 1882 was promoted to the 
position of engineer, in which capacity he has served continuously since with 
the same road. He has been in hut one accident, and that was a head-end 
collision, in which eighteen cars were burned, the accident resulting from the 
fault of an operator giving wrong orders. Several of the employes were 
killed, but Mr. Green was not badly injured, although his clothing was largely 
torn from him. 

On the 2d of June, ]88/, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Green and 
Miss Ella M. Obney, a native of Indiana, born October 7, 1861. She was 
reared in Alliance, Ohio, and in its schools acquired her education. Her father 
is a native of Pennsylvania, her mother of Ohio, and they are farming people 
now residing in Alliance, aged eighty and seventy-five years respectively. The 
father served for three years in the war of the Rebellion as a defender of the 
Union. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Green has been blessed with five chil- 
dren, — Earl, Lee Briton, Ella M., Henry Wayne and Russell Clifford. Our 
subject is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, is a Repub- 
lican in his political views and is a member of the Lutheran church. His long 
■continued service with the Pennsylvania Railroad indicates plainly his fidelity 
to duty and his care and precision in his work. 

W. D. COVER. 

There is, in the anxious and laborious struggle for an honorable com- 
petence and a solid career of the business or orofessional man fighting the 
every-day battle of life, but little to attract the idle reader in search of a sen- 
sational chapter; but for a mind thoroughly awake to the reality and meaning 
of human existence, there are noble and important lessons in the life of the 



75§ CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

man, who, without other means than a clear head, a strong arm and a true 
heart, conquers adversity, and toiling' on through the work-day years of a 
long career, finds that he won not only wealth, but also something far greater 
and higher, — the deserved respect and esteem of those with whom his years of 
active life placed him in contact. 

Air. Cover was born in Crestline, March 12, 1865, and is therefore one 
of the younger representatives of the business interests. His father, Jacob 
Cover, was a native of Richland county, Ohio, and came to Crestline in the 
'50s. About 1870 he established a meat market, and conducted the enterprise 
until 1890, when he retired from active business, since which time he has en- 
joyed a well earned rest. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church 
and one of the respected and worthy citizens of Crestline. He married Martha 
Devine, who died when her son W. D. was a lad of seven summers, leaving 
two children, the daughter, Laura, being now the wife of David Baker, of 
Crestline. 

W. D. Cover, the younger child, was educated in the schools of his native 
town, and putting aside his text-books began to work in his father's market. 
In 1884 he was admitted to a partnership in the business, under the firm name 
of J. Cover & Son, a connection that was maintained until about 1888, when 
he sold his interest to his father and accepted a position as clerk and yard- 
master with the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, remaining with 
the corporation fur two years. He then returned to mercantile life, opening a 
meat market, which he conducted for seven years, when he extended the field 
of his labors by adding a grocery stock. His place is known as the Central 
market. There he carries a large line of staple and fancy groceries and meats, 
and is enjoying a very liberal patronage. His efforts, however, have not been 
confined alone to the conduct of his store. He is a man of resourceful business 
ability, possessed of executive force and keen discernment. He became one 
of the organizers of the First National Bank of Crestline in the year 1897, and 
on the 1 st of January, 1898, the institution opened its doors for business. Mr. 
Cover was elected vice-president and has since held the position. He is also a 
stockholder in the Schill Brothers Manufacturing Company, and his sound 
judgment and correct opinions carry weight in business circles, especially 
having influence over the manner of conducting the two enterprises with which 
he is connected. 

In the year 1889 Air. Cover was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Snv- 
der, a daughter of John and Mary (Burnison) Snyder, residents of Crestline. 
The marriage has been blessed with one daughter, Marjorie. The parents 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 759 

are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, take an active 
part in its work and labor earnestly for its advancement. Mr. Cover is serving 
as one of its trustees and as church treasurer. In politics he is a Democrat and 
socially is connected with the Knights of Pythias fraternity. He is secre- 
tary of the Crestline water works and does everything in his power to pro- 
mote the welfare and progress of his native city, in which he has a deep and 
abiding interest. 

JOHN ADAM WALKER. 

Among the many well cultivated farms of Holmes township the one 
occupied by John Adam Walker attracts notice as one which demonstrates that 
its occupant is a most careful and excellent agriculturist. 

The birth of Mr. Walker was in Chatfield township, this county, on the 
18th of March, 1849, a son °f John George and Elizabeth (Durr) Walker, 
he being one of a family of six children, three of whom survive, namely : 
Mary, the widow of William Pfleiderer, of Bucyrus, Ohio; John Adam; and 
Frederick, also of Bucyrus. John George Walker was born in Wurtemberg, 
Germany, where he learned the trade of shoemaker, and emigrated to America 
when twenty years old. For several years he traveled over the country, work- 
ing at different occupations, but finally came to Crawford county and settled in 
Chatfield township, where he married and bought a farm of sixty acres. In 
1856 or 1857 he sold this farm and removed to 1 Holmes township, where he 
bought eighty acres, in section 14, upon which he lived, and died on February 
5, 1892. His farming efforts had met with success, and at the time of his 
death he was the owner of three hundred and eighty acres of land. The moth- 
er, who also was born in Germany, died in 1853. 

John Adam Walker grew up at home and attended the public schools. On 
February 10, 1881, he was married to Miss Mary A. Schieber, a native of 
Liberty township, this county, and the daughter of Gottlieb Schieber. After 
marriage the young couple settled down to domestic life on the eighty-acre 
farm owned by the father, at Spore, in this county, and there they resided for 
three years, when Mr. Walker located upon his present farm, which was deed- 
ed to him by his father. Since taking possession Mr. Walker has added twen- 
ty-two acres to the original tract, which makes his farm contain one hundred 
and two acres. In 1885 he built his present handsome residence, this improve- 
ment being followed, in 1898, by the rebuilding of his farm structures, all of 
which are now in a most desirable and substantial condition. 



760 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Air. and Airs. Walker have four children: Carrie J., Luella M., George 
W. and Alpha R. 

A life-long Democrat, Air. Walker has taken an active interest in political 
matters and posessses considerable influence through the township. His relig- 
ious membership is in the German Methodist church, but as this is situated 
four miles distant from his home he usually attends the English Evangelical 
church, which is more convenient. Probably there is no more highly es- 
teemed resident of Holmes township than Air. Walker, who has long been con- 
sidered one of the substantial citizens of the county. 

HENRY L. SCHWENK. 

Henry L. Schwenk, a leading farmer of Holmes township, Crawford 
county, and known both as an excellent agriculturist and as a liberal-minded 
and progressive citizen, was born in Liberty township, this county, on August 
26, 1859, and was a son of Hironemus and Alary (Zimmers) Schwenk. 

Jacob Schwenk, the grandfather of Henry L., was a native of Germany, 
who came to America with his family in 1835. After three months spent in 
New York City they came to Crawford county and settled in Liberty township, 
and here Grandfather Jacob bought a farm of about one hundred and ten acres, 
built a cabin upon it and began the hard work of clearing the tract. Here his 
son Hironemus attained his majority and assisted his father, and some vears 
later purchased it, giving his parents a comfortable home with him during the 
remaining- years of their lives. 

Hironemus Schwenk was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 18 18. After 
attaining his majority he married Alary Zimmers, and they reared a family of 
twelve children, seven of whom survive, as follows: Jacob, of Auglaize 
county, Ohio-; Peter, of Hardin county, Ohio; Charles, of Hardin county, 
Ohio; Samuel, of Auglaize county, Ohio; Paulina, the wife of Jack Vanvoors, 
of Bucyrus; William, of Bucyrus; and our subject. In 1866 Hironemus 
Schwenk sold the home farm and removed to Holmes township, where he 
bought the farm he now occupies, consisting of one hundred and sixtv acres. 
This property was formerly the farm of Jacob Lutz, and here Air. Schwenk 
lived and enjoyed every comfort of life until his death, in 1887. For many 
years he had been connected with the Democratic party, and was an active 
member of the German Lutheran church, and. was known through the neigh- 
borhood as a most liberal and just citizen. 

Our subject grew up on the farm and when his health permitted attended 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 7^ 

the district school. On October 9, 1887, he was married to Miss Lenora E. 
Fralick, who was born in Holmes township and was a daughter of Henry 
Fralick. Her father was a native of Pennsylvania and was one of the early 
settlers of Crawford county. In the month of February preceding- our sub- 
ject's marriage his father died, and with his bride he settled with his mother 
on the old home farm and managed it for the other heirs until 1895, wnen ne 
purchased his farm of eighty-three acres, which he has made one of the most 
desirable in the township. Here he carries on general farming, and has made 
many improvements and is justly regarded as a model agriculturist. 

To Air. and Mrs. Schwenk three children were born, the one survivor 
being Ross Delvin, born October 18. 1899. Although much engaged in his 
farming enterprises, Mr. Schwenk has taken a great interest in township 
affairs. He is a stanch Democrat and is now serving his second term as town- 
ship trustee. He is also a trustee of the United Brethren church, of which he 
has long been a consistent member, and is well and favorably known through 
Holmes township. 

CHRISTOPHER G. SCHIEFER. 

Prominent among the agriculturists of Holmes township, Crawford 
county, is Christopher G. Schiefer, one of the highly esteemed German- Amer- 
ican citizens. The birth of Mr. Schiefer was in Wurtemberg, Germany, on 
July 11, 1824, and he was a son of Conrad F. and Rosina ( Krauter) Schiefer, 
the former of whom was also born in Germany and was the son of Abraham 
and Sibula Schiefer. When Conrad Schiefer was called upon to select an 
occupation he decided to be a shepherd. After the death of his father, with 
his mother and his own family, in the fall of 1831, he emigrated to America. 
The voyage was long, covering sixty days, but they finally landed safely in 
New York. From there they went to Canada, locating some fifteen miles 
from Waterloo, where Conrad bought one hundred acres of forest land. This 
was a wilderness indeed, for at that time both bears and wolves were fre- 
quently seen. Many discouragements beset the emigrants, and as Mr. Schiefer 
learned of more desirable lands in the state of Ohio-, he brought his family 
thither, in 1834, and left them in Cleveland while he prospected in Crawford 
county. He finally found what he considered a desirable locality, in Chatfield 
township, and before he returned to Cleveland had closed the bargain by which 
he became the owner of forty acres of land, two cows, one heifer, two' yoke 
of oxen and all else on the place, for the sum of one hundred and ninety dol- 



762 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

lars. This remained his home during the rest of his life, his death being 
-caused, on October 15, 1853, by being run over by a team. Before his death 
he had added to his farm until it contained seventy acres, and his industry made 
it one of the best in the count}'. Mr. Schiefer was a good and pious man, 
highly esteemed by his neighbors and valued in the Evangelical church. His 
knowledge of the Bible had come from its constant study. The mother of our 
subject, who also was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1800, was a daugh- 
ter of Michael Krauter, and she survived her husband for ten years. 

They had a large family, numbering' fifteen members, the names of the 
five v. ho still survive being: Christopher; Frederick, of Leavenworth, Kan- 
sas; Mary, the widow of a Mr. Kennedy, of Kansas City, Missouri; Abraham, 
of Clinton county, Iowa ; and Christiana, the widow of Frederick Mack, of 
Chatlield township. 

Christopher Schiefer passed his boyhood and youth surrounded by many 
strange physical features and experienced many thrilling events. At one time, 
when about eight years old. he was sent to look after some stock and became 
lost in the dense forest and spent a night of terror in the bushes, while he could 
hear the wild beasts prowling around him. His education was necessarily 
limited, the school facilities being poor, and the work which fell to his share 
occupied the greater part of his time. On reaching manhood he began his 
career as a farm hand, working by the month for the neighbors, gaining a rep- 
utation for honesty, industry and efficiency. On April 13, 1851, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Sarah Miller, who was born in Texas township, this county, and 
was a daughter of John and Maria (Wirt) Miller, both of whom were natives 
of Pennsylvania, Grandfather Miller having emigrated to that state form 
Germany. Five children were born to our subject and wife, these being: 
Sarah A., the wife of Lewis Schiefer, of Chatfield township; Jacob F., of this 
township; Isaac, of this township; Abraham, of Lykens township; and 
Amanda, the wife of Charles Ollifelt, of this township. A very delightful cir- 
cumstance of this family is that the children are all located almost within call 
of their parents. 

Following his marriage our subject purchased a sawmill from Mr. Charles 
Kiplinger in Liberty township, which he operated some ten years. Some 
eighteen months after the purchase of the mill he bought five acres of land in 
the section in which he now resides and removed his mill to that land, having 
just enough money to pay for the deed, trusting to his success to get enough 
to pay for the land. The success came, and ten years later he sold his mill 
.and bought four hundred acres of land in Iowa, but later exchanged that for 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 763 

the farm upon which he now resides. His landed property at one time 
amounted to four hundred acres in this and Lykens township. He has re- 
tained one hundred and fifty-five acres in his home place and has divided the 
rest among his children. 

Until the time of the Civil war Mr. Schiefer was a Democrat in politics, 
but the issues of that struggle made him a Republican. For many years he 
has given a liberal support to the Evangelical church, of which he is a member. 
He is well and most favorably known and respected by all through the part 
of the county which has so long been his home. 

CLYDE D. SHILLING. 

One of the leading business men of Tiro, Crawford county, Ohio is Clyde 
D. Shilling, who conducts a large lumber business in this vicinity and who is 
one of the most progressive citizens of Auburn township. The birth of Mr. 
Shilling was in this township, on February 7, 1873, and he was a son of Jacob- 
and Elizabeth (Staley) Shilling, who reared a family of three children, all 
of whom survive, being: Frank F., of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Lorena, at 
home; and Clyde D., who is the subject of this biography. Clyde D. Shilling 
grew to young manhood in his home and acquired his education in attendance 
at the common schools of his neighborhood. At the age of eighteen years he 
entered upon an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade, working in this line 
for four and one-half years. 

At the age of twenty-three years Air. Shilling began his lumber and tim- 
ber operations, the sawing being done in his father's mill, but on May 1, 1899, 
this null was destroyed by fire. His father then offered him a one-half inter- 
est in another mill if he would agree to remain in the business, as he had shown 
such unusual ability in this line, and later, in association with his brother 
Frank, the mill was rebuilt. Since that time the business, under our subject's 
management, has become one of the leading ones in this locality and is a very 
important industry in Crawford county. 

The marriage of Mr. Shilling was on September 12, 1900, to Miss Minnie 
Wood, who was born in Tiro, and who is the accomplished daughter of Jacob 
AYood. Mr. Shilling is a valued member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592, K. of P., 
and is chancellor and commander of the lodge. 

Air. Shilling is prominently identified with many of the leading business 
interests of Tiro, is secretary of the Tiro' Building & Loan x\ssociation ; is a 
member of the town council ; and is also a s tockholder and one of the directors 



764 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

in the Bell Spiee Cabinet Company, of this city. He is one of the most con- 
spicuous young business men of this city on account of his energy, ability and 
business integrity, and has built up a business which opens avenues for much 
future usefulness. 

WILLIAM H. BRIDGEMAN. 

Among the excellent citizens and successful business men of Tiro, Craw- 
for county, Ohio, is William H. Bridgeman, who is the reliable and efficient 
foreman and engineer of the Bell Spice Cabinet Company, of this city. The 
birth of Mr. Bridgeman was in Mansfield, Richland county, Ohio, on June 8, 
1855, and he was a son of William F. and Sophia (White) Bridgeman. These 
parents reared a family of seven children, and the five survivors are : William 
H., who is the subject of this sketch; Matilda M., who is the wife of C. A. 
McCaskey, of Shelby, Ohio; Alexander A., who lives at home; Rose, who is 
the wife of N. J. McBride, of Shiloh, Ohio ; and Melinda, who is the wife of 
A. W. Lash, of Auburn township. 

William F. Bridgeman, who was the father of our subject, was born in 
Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1833, and in 1848 came to America and settled in 
Mansfield, Ohio. Here he learned the trade of brickmaker and later married 
in this locality, and continued to follow this line of work until about 1859, 
when he came to Crawford county and began farming on rented land in Ver- 
non township. Later he purchased a small farm here and resided upon it 
until his death, on May 7, 1883. His political affiliations were with the 
Democratic party and he was honored by it with almost all of the local offices, 
in which he served with efficiency and satisfaction. Mr. Bridgeman had long 
been one of the leading members of the German Reformed church, in which 
he was a trustee, and he was known as a public-spirited and progressive citi- 
zen as well as an honest and upright man. 

The mother of our subject was born in Switzerland, in 1830, and came 
to America about 1848, making the journey on the same vessel that brought 
young William Bridgeman to these shores. She also* located in Mansfield, 
and later married the father of our subject. She still survives and is an hon- 
ored member of the home of her sons, our subject and Alexander. 

William H. Bridgeman, who is the subject of this biography, was reared 
on his father's farm and acquired his education in the public schools of his 
neighborhood. In 1878 his father purchased a sawmill and gave the manage- 
ment of it into the hands of his son, who was permitted to retain the proceeds 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 765 

for his own use. Until 1881 our subject conducted this mill, but was then 
married and settled on a farm belonging to the family of his wife. After 
three years on this place he purchased an interest in a threshing machine and 
for the two following years engaged in the threshing business. In 1887 he 
bought an interest in the Shilling sawmill, of Tiro, which interest he still re- 
tains, as good, paying property, and until 1899 he worked in the mill, later 
employing a man to fill his place there while he spent a year in a different line. 
During the next twelve months he successfully engaged in the buying and 
shipping of lumber, but in the spring of 1901 he accepted his present respon- 
sible position as foreman and engineer of the Bell Spice Cabinet Company, 
and has continued here ever since. Mr. Bridgeman is a stockholder in this 
company and is one of the well known and progressive young business men 
of the county. 

in 1881 Mr. Bridgeman was married to Miss Frances J. McCaskey. who 
was a native of Auburn township, in this county, and who was a daughter of 
John and Anna J. (Furrow) McCaskey. Her father was a native of Ire- 
land, and her mother was a native of Ohio. Two children were born to our 
subject and wife, Otis J., and Pearl, both of whom have passed away. 

Mr. Bridgeman is prominent in the Lutheran church and is a trustee, and 
he is also a member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592, K. of P., and at present is filling 
the office of "master at work." He is also connected by membership with 
Lodge No. 688, I. O. O. F., of Tiro, of which he is the treasurer In politics 
he is one of the prominent Democrats, and is a man highly respected in social 
and business circles over a great part of Crawford county. 

WILLIAM McMANIS. 

Among the residents of Crawford county, Ohio, who number their per- 
sonal friends by the score and who have served their fellow citizens in various 
positions with integrity as well as ability, is William McManis, a long-time 
resident of Vernon township. The birth of our subject was in Crawford coun- 
ty, on September 4, 1827, and he was a son of James and Sarah (Walters) 
McManis, to whom five children were born. Three of these still survive, our 
subject being the only son, the daughters being : Sarah, the widow of Nicholas 
Brown, of Williams county, Ohio; and Matilda, the widow of Thomas Couts, 
also of Williams county. 

The father of our subject was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, but he was born 
in Pennsylvania and came to Liberty township, in Crawford county, when he 



766 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

was a young man. Here for a time he engaged in work on the surrounding 
farms and gained such a reputation for sobriety and industry that he soon mar- 
ried and became a resident on the Crall farm, which is located just west of 
Sulphur Springs. Here he resided for a number of years and then re- 
moved to Fremont, Ohio, where he worked at the carpenter's trade and lived 
in that city until his death, in his seventy-sixth year. In his political belief he 
was a Democrat and took an active interest in public affairs. 

The mother of our subject was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, 
in 1800, and her parents removed to Crawford county some time prior to 1820, 
and settled in Liberty township, where Mr. Walters died in a few years, 
his widow surviving for some years after. 

William McManis, who is our immediate subject, on account of domestic 
misfortunes, made his home from the age of ten years until he was eighteen 
with neighboring farmers, beginning at the latter age his personal career as a 
farmer, working through the succeeding three years for Mr. John Dickson. 

On January 16, 185 1, our subject was united in marriage to Miss Emeline 
Dickson, who was a native of Vernon township and who was born on the farm 
on which the family of our subject now resides. She was a daughter of 
George Dickson, who was a native of Indiana county, Pennsylvania, coming to 
Crawford county in 1822. He put in a crop of wheat on the land which was 
then in Richland county, and in 1823 removed his family to our subject's pres- 
ent farm, his father having entered this land some time prior to his death. 

After marriage Mr. McManis and his bride located on the farm of grand- 
father Andrew Dickson, and here he carried on his farming operations as a 
renter, and then he moved to a farm of ninety-three and one-third acres which 
belonged to his father-in-law. Two years later removal was made to the farm 
adjoining his present one, lying to the west, which also was the property 
of Mr. Dickson, who was a large land-owner. In 1874 Mr. McManis located 
mi his present farm, working faithfully for his esteemed father-in-law until 
the death of the latter. Prior to this event Mr. Dickson willed to our sub- 
ject eighty acres of the homestead, and afterward the latter bought eighty ad- 
ditional acres from the other heirs, making his farm one of one hundred and 
sixty acres of finely cultivated and improved land. Mr. McManis also owned 
seventy-eight more acres of land in this township, but this he recently sold to 
his son-in-law, Jefferson Easterday. Mr. McManis has long been regarded 
as one of the most thorough farmers in this locality, his excellent crops and 
fine, sleek cattle testifying to the interest he has taken in these pursuits. 

To Mr. and Mrs. McManis were born eight children, but all have passed 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ?6 7 

away except these three : Clara, who is the wife of William Brown, of Vernon 
township, and they have two children, Frank and John William; Emma, who 
is the wife of Jefferson Easterday, and they have two children, Aland and 
Mable; and Cora, who is the wife of John Weidemeier, of Vernon township, 
and they have one child, Ruth Emeline. Those who have passed out of life 
bore these names: Alary M. ; George, who left five children, John, Bertha, 
Emma, William and May; John; Agnes; and Maggie, who was the wife of 
\\ illiam Bloom, and one son, Raymond, survives her. 

The argicultural interests of this section have received much attention 
from our subject. For some years he followed threshing in this county, and 
by many young farmers he is regarded as an undoubted authority in the man- 
agement of agricultural operations. Mr. McManis is of that kind and neigh- 
borly nature that makes him a willing adviser and very often a substantial 
helper. As a leader in the Democratic party he has been honored with main- 
offers of preferment, but aside from one term as township trustee and a long- 
season as school director he has declined them all. He is well known and is 
respected and esteemed by all who have come within his genial presence, and 
is a representative man of Vernon township. 

JAMES B. CARROTHERS. 

A prominent citizen of Crawford county. Ohio, is James B. Carrothers,.. 
who testified to his loyalty to his country during the Civil war, and since that 
time has become one of the most substantial farmers of this part of the state. 

The birth of James B. Carrothers was in Vernon township, Crawford 
county, Ohio, on February 2, 1841, and he was a son of John and Elizabeth 
(Laird) Carrothers, and is one of the three surviving children of eight who 
were born to these parents. The others are: George Carrothers, who resides 
in Findlay, Ohio; and Dr. Morton M. Carrothers, who is a practicing physi- 
cian, also in Findlay. 

John Carrothers. Jr., their father, was born April 4, 1807, m Fernamagh 
county, Ireland, and he was a son of John, Sr. and Alary Carrothers. \\ 'hen 
a small boy six or seven years old, he emigrated with his parents to this coun- 
try. The voyage was a long and perilous one. The ship was wrecked at 
midnight during a storm, and everything on board was lost save the lives of 
the crew. His father had live hundred guineas stowed away in the till of a 
chest which with all other valuables, including the family record, was lost. 

When the vessel was driven against the rock it was damaged so that it at once 
43 



768 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

began to fill with water, and at that moment it was not known by any soul on 
board that land was anywhere within probable reach, and, with death and 
desperation confronting them, the captain and first mate hastened to their 
cabin and drank to intoxication. The second mate ordered a detail of men 
to the pumps and also the life-boats to be lowered. Meanwhile he had made 
such observations as were possible in the darkness and discovered what was 
either a cloud or land. A life-boat, manned by a few trusty sailors, was sent 
to investigate. The distance was four miles: they returned with the news of 
land. The women and children were ordered to be taken first from the sink- 
ing ship, and were handed out of the window to the boats. When the subject 
of our narrative was handed out, the receiver did not catch him until after 
he had fallen into the water between the ship and the boat, when he was 
caught by the hair of the head and thrown into the boat! The drunken cap- 
tain and first mate were the last to' be rescued from the ill-fated vessel, and 
the life-boat was so near the ship when it sank that it was nearly drawn under 
by the suction of the water. When daylight came they found themselves on 
a barren island of four acres, poorly clad and with nothing to eat. The signal 
of distress — the white flag — was hoisted, and lest the white only should not 
attract attention, it was again lowered and to it was attached a lady's red petti- 
coat. They were soon signaled by a British man of war and carried to Nova 
Scotia, and thence to Philadelphia. 

The destination of the family was Guernsey county, Ohio. After resid- 
ing a few years in that county the parents of John Carrothers died. He was 
married April 25, 1834, to Elizabeth Laird, who survives him and with whom 
he lived a little over fifty years. In 1836 they moved to the eastern part of 
Crawford county (then Richland county), where Mr. Carrothers entered a 
quarter section of land, on which he erected a log house and commenced the 
slow process of hewing a home out of the forest. At that time wild game was 
abundant and many a deer and turkey fell under his unerring aim and was 
carried home to make glad the household. From a slight injury to the ankle 
received in the year 1828 there developed a cancerous growth, which rendered 
him for many years a continual sufferer. In 1853 it was removed by a sur- 
gical operation. Two years afterward it returned and he submitted to an un- 
successful attempt to remove it by caustics. Some months afterward the 
limb was amputated, by Drs. H. Mack, of Shelby, and Keller, of West Liberty. 
He submitted to the operation without chloroform. Two leading character- 
istics of his life were courage and energy. His family consisted of six sons 
•and two daughters. The two daughters and one son preceded him to- the 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 769 

spirit world. Five sons are living, four of whom were in the late war. They 
were all present at his bedside during his last sickness and death. Years ago 
he united with the Church of God. A few days prior to his death he made his 
last requests and spoke of his willingness to depart. Frequently he exclaimed, 
"Bless the Lord, Oh my soul." Thirty days before his death he received an 
injury from a fall, and his last illness was one of constant suffering, ending- 
only in the sweet repose of death, which took place at his late residence in 
Vernon township, Crawford county, Ohio, on Wednesday, May 21, 1884, in 
the seventy-seventh year of his age. 

Elizabeth (Laird) Carrothers, their mother was born in Fermanagh 
■county, Ireland, December 15, 1809. She was a woman of conviction and 
having found the truth she planted herself upon it with a firmness unshaken 
by friend or foe. She was sincere and could not bear a sham any more than 
she could be a sham herself. The beauty of her character was that she always 
seemed to< be cheerful and happy when being visited by any of her host of 
friends. She appreciated everything natural, no matter how homely or insig- 
nificant, and would give it due value. She made choice of her funeral text, 
the words found recorded in Romans XIV, 8>: "Whether we live, we live unto 
the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord, and whether we live or 
die, we are the Lord's." She seemed to realize that the Lord both died and 
rose that he-might be the Lord both of the dead and living, that the Lord was 
just as able and willing to care for her in life as in death, in this lfe as in 
the life to come, and this has been her constant faith in all the changes and 
•cares of this life. What she did, she did it as unto the Lord, and not as unto 
man. She seemed to impress her Christian character and faith upon her chil- 
dren and leaves to the world five sons of honor and character, two of whom are 
trustees of Findlay College, and three are honored members of the Church of 
God. Her sons can well attribute their honorable standing to the teaching of 
a noble, pious mother. The)- can well concole themselves with the knowledge 
that thev have bestowed that reverence and affection due so worth}- and kind a 
mother. She held her membership in the Church of God at Liberty for many 
years and to the time of her death, which took place at Findlay, August 31, 
1891, when she was eighty-one years, eight months and sixteen days. Her 
funeral took place at the residence of her son. James, near Tiro, Crawford 
county, September 2, 1891. Her remains were followed to the grave by a 
large concourse of people, and they were deposited in a vault beside her hus- 
band to await the summons of her Lord unto whom she lived and unto whom 
she died. 



77o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

James B. Carrothers was reared on bis father's farm and acquired his 
education in the common schools. On September 29, 1862, he became a 
member of Company K, One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio Volunteer In- 
fantry, for service in the Civil war, and almost immediately his regiment was 
sent to the front, where it took part in the battle of Vicksburg, and on Decem- 
ber 25th they were at Big Black river. After lighting for six days here the 
Union officers sent a Mag of truce to the Confederates asking to be permitted 
to bury their dead, and they were given one day, the night following being 
marched six miles to the river and loaded on transports. The regiment went 
down the Black river and then up the Arkansas river to Arkansas Post, where 
they captured seventy-eight hundred prisoners and ten thousand stacks of arms, 
after twenty-four hours of lighting. On January 16, the regiment then went 
down the stream to Young's Point, Louisiana, and landed in front of Vicks- 
burg on March 9, going up the river to Milliken's, where they remained until 
April 2, at this time leaving this part of the army and going to Richmond, 
New Carthage and Grand Gulf, where they crossed the river. They were pres- 
ent at Thompson's Hill, Port Gibson and Rocky Springs, coming around in 
the rear of Vicksburg, where they engaged in fighting for five days. Then 
the regiment moved to Big Black river and here he succumbed to fever and was 
left behind. He rejoined the regiment on June 1, and was a part of it during 
the siege of Vicksburg and remained until July 6, two days after the surrender, 
when the regiment started in pursuit of Johnston. They marched to Jackson 
and there engaged in fighting through a whole week, routing the enemy. 
Marching back to Big Black creek the regiment reached it on July 2$, and 
remained there for two weeks, but on August 8 the soldiers started on marine 
boats for Port Hudson landing, and went into camp until August 17, when 
they went on to Xew Orleans, remaining until the 20th of the month. On 
September 5, the regiment reached Brashear City, Louisiana, and our subject 
went to Carrollton, where late in October he was discharged on account of 
physical disability, and he arrived home November 8, 1863. This ended a 
long and trying period, the effects of which he still experiences. 

In August, 1864, James Carrothers was married to Miss Sarah J. Cole, 
who was born in this township and who was a daughter of Barnet Cole, now- 
deceased, who was one of the well known farmers of Vernon township. After 
marriage our subject remained with his father for two years and during the 
winter months he taught the district school. In 1866, he went to live with 
James Carrothers, Sr. At that time this uncle owned the farm which James 
now occupies and took charge of it. October 14, 1872, the uncle died. James 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 771 

and his brother George had previously purchased this farm, which consists 
of three hundred and twenty acres. For two years they farmed this land in 
partnership. At the end of this period a division was made by which he 
retained one hundred and sixty acres, and upon this place he had erected a 
'substantial frame house in 1870. He has been successful in real estate 
business. 

Ten children were born in the family of James Carrothers and wife and 
eight of these still survive, their names and residences being as follows: 
Flora E., who is the wife of Isaac X. Latchaw and resides in McComb, Ohio; 
Emma L., who is the wife of Sherman Morris and resides in Sandusky town- 
ship ; Hattie M., who is the wife of Amos Keller, and also resides in San- 
dusky township, and E. Ida B. Weaver, Jennie XL, Sadie L. B. L., Dee Ora 
Lee and Robert B. Carrothers, who reside at home. Air. Carrothers has taken 
just pride in his intelligent family. 

James Carrothers has long been connected with the religious body known 
as the Church of God. He is a man of high character, is an honorable and 
upright citizen, and fills every situation in life with dignity and in a manner to 
gain the respect and esteem of all who know him. 

JOHN ECKSTEIN. 

John Eckstein, who is a trustee of Vernon township, and one of its lead- 
ing and most progressive farmers, was born in Richland county, Ohio, on No- 
vember 20, 1856. His father was George Eckstein, extended mention of 
whom may be found in the biography of his son, Adam Eckstein, in another 
part of this volume. 

John Eckstein of this sketch was reared on the home farm and acquired 
a good common school education. After he had reached his twenty-first year 
he received from his father the customary wages of a farm hand, this being 
satisfactory to both parties. On November 24, 1882, our subject was united in 
marriage to Miss Louisa Minck, who was a native of Vernon township and 
a daughter of Conrad Minck, who was a native of Germany and one of the early 
settlers of Vernon township, where the remainder of his life was passed. 

After the death of the father of our subject, in 1886, the latter and his 
brother George purchased one hundred and sixty acres of the estate, sixty 
acres of which our subject owned personally, which was situated across the 
highway from the home farm. Our subject continued to farm the land upon 
shares for the following seven years or until the death of his mother, when 



772 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

he bought the home farm, consisting of ninety-three acres, and this 
made his own land aggregate one hundred and fifty-three acres. Since that 
time Mr. Eckstein has demonstrated that he is a practical farmer and has the 
satisfaction of owning and operating one of the best cultivated and most highly 
improved farms in the township. For a number of years he has given his 
attention to his land, understands its possibilities and intelligently meets its 
demands. 

Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Eckstein and seven of 
these still survive and make a happy home circle. These are as follows : 
Charles \Y., Mamie B., John A., Ella F., Grover A., Edna M., and Emery B., 
as intelligent and attractive family as Vernon township can produce. They 
are all being thoroughly educated in the common schools and promise to be- 
come useful members of society. 

In politics Mr. Eckstein is a Democrat, but his personal popularity is so 
great that the whole township has been glad to place him in a position to serve 
as its trustee, being now in his second term, this honor having been conferred 
upon him without his consent. For a number of years he has been one of the 
leading members of the German Reformed church, and for four years was one 
of the deacons. He is a man who enjoys the esteem of his neighbors and is not 
only one of the best farmers but also one of the most useful citizens of Ver- 
non township. 

ARTHUR CLELAND. 

Distinguished as the first white child born in Vernon township, Arthur 
Cleland, who is the subject of this biography, is a well-known resident of 
Crawford county, Ohio, through which he is also known as a substantial farm- 
er and estimable citizen. Flis parents settled in Crawford county late in the 
fall of 1825 and his birth took place on February 6, 1826. He was a son of 
William and Rachel (Ramsey) Cleland, who had eight children born in their 
pioneer home, the brothers and sisters of our subject being as follows: Will- 
iam, who is a resident of Defiance county, Ohio ; and Rachel, who is the wife 
of Hugh Dobbins and lives in Bucyrus township, while those who passed away 
bore the following names : Mary, who married Thomas McCullough ; Mar- 
garet J., who married William Magee ; Susan, who married Thomas Alemus; 
Eliza, who married Davidson Aladdox ; and John. 

William Cleland, the father of our subject, was born in county Down, 
Ireland, May 14, 1796, and he was a son of Arthur Cleland, the latter being 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 771 

of Scotch-Irish extraction. About 1816 an aunt of our subject emigrated to 
America and soon after wrote such glowing acounts back to the old coun- 
try of the conditions and opportunities in the United States, awakening in the 
breasts of those left behind also an ambition to cross the sea, that resulted in 
the sale of the little farm and the embarkation, on a sailing vessel, of the whole 
family, bound for a new home across the Atlantic. Our subject's father, with 
his parents and his brothers and sisters, left Ireland on May 14, 1817, and after 
a voyage of sixty-six days were landed at Cape May, at the mouth of the Dela- 
ware river. Their destination was New York, but head winds drove the poorly 
managed ship out of its course, and as a major portion of the passengers 
wished to go to Wilmington the captain landed them all there. From Cape 
May the Cleland family found its way to Washington, Pennsylvania, and re- 
sided there for a time, later removing to Jefferson county, Ohio. The grand- 
father had been a famous weaver in his prime, but he and his wife were grow- 
ing old and from this time remained with some one of their children. 

In the fall of 1824 the father of our subject, with his brother John, came 
to Crawford county, Ohio, and entered our subject's present home farm, a 
fractional quarter section, consisting of one hundred and fifteen acres. Then 
they returned to Jefferson county and in the fall of the following year Will- 
iam Cleland, with his wife and his brother John, removed to the new home in 
the Ohio woods. The men soon cleared off a space and built a log cabin, and, 
in the February following, into this frontier home came the child whose biog- 
raphy appears in this writing. In the following spring John Cleland went to 
Mansfield, where plenty of work was to be found at his trade of stone mason, 
and it was in that year' the great canal system of the state was begun. For two 
vears he worked in stone and brick and then went back to Pennsylvania. 

In the spring following the location of William Cleland in this part of the 
county, the township was organized, and at the spring election the ten votes 
were polled by William Garrison. Eli- Arnold, Isaac Hitchkok, George Dick- 
son, three of the Coles family, James Richards, James Clemens, and William 
Cleland. During these early days William Cleland worked as a weaver and 
exchanged the product of the looms for labor to assist in the clearing of land, 
and much of the laborious work was performed in this way. For many years 
he continued his work at the loom, finding ready sale or barter for all he could 
produce. His death occurred on September 25, 1881, in the eighty-sixth year 
of his age, after a life of usefulness and industry, which left his family well 
provided for at his decease. His many years here had covered a period that 
saw the forest give place to smiling, fruitful fields and orchards, and the little 



774 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

log cabin, during this time, gave place to the magnificent country home which 
is not only complete in comfort and construction, but is also an ornament to 
the landscape. 

Air. Cleland was an excellent man of business and was in the habit of 
buying land when he found desirable tracts for sale, until he had acquired three 
hundred and twenty-four acres in Crawford county, and two hundred and 
twenty acres in Defiance county. Democratic in politics, he always ardently 
upheld the party of his choice, while he was equally active in the support of the 
Presbyterian church. The mother of our subject was a most superior woman 
and came from noted ancestry. She was born in Brooke county. West Vir- 
ginia, on January 16, 1801, and she was a daughter of Samuel Ramsey, who 
was a native of Ireland. During the war of the Revolution he, in company 
with one hundred and thirty others, was captured by the British, and he was 
one of the four of those who escaped and almost starved, in hostile territory, 
before he reached his friends. The mother of our subject was one of the hardy 
pioneers who became a tower of strength to her husband in those early days, 
and reared a family to habits of thrift and industry. 

The early school days of our subject were spent in a very primitive log 
building, where the instruction was not much superior to the surroundings. 
Mr. Cleland possessed a quick and active mind and soon absorbed all the teach- 
er had to impart. His father needed his services and he remained on the home 
farm until his twenty-ninth year. On October 4, 1855, he was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Priscilla Gundrmn, who was a native of Dauphin count)', Penn- 
sylvania, her birth occurring near Harrisburg, on March 2, 1833, and she was 
a daughter of John Gundrum. The latter belonged to a fine old Pennsylvania 
family, and he came to Crawford county in 1836, spending the first winter in 
Bucyrus, removing in the following spring to Sandusky township where his 
last days were spent. 

After his marriage our subject located on one of his father's farms, con- 
sisting of eighty acres, in Sandusky township, making an agreement with his 
father to clear the land, rebuild the house and pay the taxes, for which he was 
to keep the proceeds of the property. During this time his father purchased an 
additional forty-nine acres, and our subject took charge of this also, and lived 
here until the spring of 1877 when he went back to the home farm, in order to 
extend filial care to his ageing parents. Since that time this has been our sub- 
ject's home, and it is one of the best improved properties in Crawford count v. 
Success has attended the persistent efforts of Mr. Cleland, and in 1879 he pur- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 77 5 

chased one hundred and sixty additional acres situated on the west of his home 
farm, the place now aggregating two hundred and seventy-five acres. 

Three children have been born to our subject and wife, only two of these 
surviving, viz.: William J., who farms his father's land and is serving his 
second term as township trustee; Arthur B., who died October 30, 1886, aged 
twentv-three years and ten months; and Rachel E., who is the wife of Marion 
Bender, of Auburn township. 

In political sentiment Mr. Cleland has clung to the Democratic doctrine in 
which he was reared and he has acceptably served for five years as township 
clerk, and was township trustee previously in Sandusky township. He is held 
in high esteem in Vernon township, and although his life has not been filled 
with exciting events, they have been replete with faithful and well-directed 
work, and he enjoys the consciousness of knowing that he is regarded as one of 
the best representative citizens of this unequaled county. 

ANTHONY BENDER. 

Among the enterprising citizens of Crawford county is Anthony Bender, 
who is extensively engaged in agricultural pursuits in Vernon township. His 
marked ability has done much to promote the business activity of the com- 
munitv, and in agricultural circles he enjoys an unassailable reputation. A 
native son of the Buckeye state, his birth occurred in Richland county, on the 
20th of March, 1849. The educational advantages which our subject re- 
ceived in his youth were extremely limited, as his services were required in 
improving and cultivating his father's land, but as time has passed he has 
greatly added to his knowledge by constant reading and observation. He re- 
mained at home until after his marriage, when he located on what is now 
known as the Hanley farm, then the property of his father, located in Cran- 
berry township, where he resided for three years. Returning to the home 
farm, he was there engaged in agricultural pursuits with his brother John for 
the following three years, on the expiration of which period he removed to 
Tiro, where he remained for four years, and during that time operated the 
homestead farm. In 1885 he removed to the place on which he now resides, 
the land also belonging to his father and consisting of seventy-five acres, but 
after a few years he was enabled to purchase a tract of eleven acres, and a few 
years later became the owner of another tract of twenty-four acres. After 
his father's death he inherited the seventy-five acres on which he resided, and 
his landed possessions now aggregate one hundred and ten acres. In his 



776 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

farming operations Mr. Bender has ever followed the most improved methods, 
and as the result of unremitting- toil and excellent business ability he has won 
for himself a name and place among the leading business men of his locality. 
On the 26th of August, 1876, he was united in marriage with Miss Cath- 
erine A. Kahler, a native of New Washington, Crawford county, and a daugh- 
ter of Conrad Kahler, a retired carpenter of that city. He came with his 
parents to Crawford county, Ohio, when a little lad of live years. On their 
arrival here the family erected a hut out of brush, and in this rude domicile 
they made their home until a more suitable log cabin could be erected. Unto 
Mr. and Mrs. Bender have been born four children, — Ella E., the wife of Wil- 
son Hoover, a farmer of Sandusky township, Crawford count}- ; and Frank 
B., Burton S. and William, who are still at home. In political matters Mr. 
Bender casts his ballot in favor of the Democracy, and in his social relations he 
is a member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592, K. P. Mrs. Bender is a prominent and 
active member of the Lutheran church. The business career of our subject is 
one most commendable. He is thoroughly reliable in all relations with his 
fellow men, has strict regard for the ethics of commercial life, and by enter- 
prise and careful management has secured a most gratifying- success. 

DAVID C. ROBINSOX. 

One of the most highly esteemed residents of Crawford county, Ohio, 
is David C. Robinson, who resides upon a farm now included in the corporate- 
limits of the town of Tiro, upon which he was born June 23, 1848. He was 
a son of Barber and Mary T. (Morrow) Robinson, who reared nine children, 
all of whom reached maturity. The first break in the family circle was caused 
by the death of C. M. Robinson, in 1899, at the age of fifty-five years, and two 
weeks later occurred the death of A. C. Robinson, at the age of fifty-three 
years. The survivors of this vigorous family are as follows: David C, who 
is the subject of this sketch; Mary, who is the widow of George Clawson, of 
Tiro; Martha E., who is the wife of Samuel Baxter, of Van Wert, Ohio; 
James B., who resides in California; Robert H. ; William F., who is a resident 
of Tiro; and Florence, who is the wife of A. W. Kaufman, of Tiro. 

Barber Robinson was born in Ireland, in 1818, and was the son of Robert 
and Jane (Barber) Robinson. His parents came to America when Barber 
was twelve years of age, landing in New York after a voyage of six weeks." 
They first settled in Virginia, but soon removed to Ohio, locating in Auburn 
township, in Crawford county, purchasing a farm then located one-half mile 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 777 

east of what is now the village of Tiro. This property is now owned by 
Levi Lash and John Randabauch. When the grandparents of our subject 
came to Crawford county the country was a wilderness, and in order to build 
the log cabin for immediate use, the great forest trees had to be first cut down 
and a space cleared. Industry was the order of the day and hard and un- 
remitting- toil followed, but Grandfather Robinson was one of the hardy, ener- 
getic men who was well fitted for pioneer life. His death occurred on the 
farm where his children were born and reared. Barber Robinson grew up 
amid these pioneer surroundings and did his share in the work of clearing- the 
one hundred and sixty acres of land which his father had entered. After the 
death of his father he cared for his mother until her death. After the mar- 
riage of Barber Robinson to Mary, the daughter of Charles Morrow, of Ohio, 
they settled in Tiro until Mr. Robinson could build their log cabin and then he 
started into the clearing of his own land, as he bought one hundred acres 
located across the road from the old homestead. After the death of his father 
he bought the home farm also and for a time owned four hundred and twenty 
acres. 

Mr. Robinson was a life-long Democrat and was a man who- exerted a 
great influence in the councils of his party. For six years he efficiently served 
as county commissioner and was one of the best men that could have been 
found for that position, as he possessed excellent judgment and great executive 
ability. For years he was a leading member of the Lutheran church, during 
much of his later life being one of the elders in the same. 

David C. Robinson was reared in a good. Christian home and was given 
every educational opportunity possible in his locality at that time. At the 
age of twenty-two years he began agricultural work on his father's farm, 
working- on shares, and soon proved to be a very capable and successful farmer. 
On September 26, 1878, our subject was married to- Miss Anna L. Bowers, 
of Sulphur Springs, and continued to work on his father's farm until the 
death of the latter. When the estate was settled our subject purchased eighty 
acres and the buildings on the land, and this has been the family home ever 
since. 

Politically our subject is a Democrat. He was once elected township 
clerk, but as he found that in order to' do justice to the duties of the office he 
would be obliged to neglect his farm he resigned. However, he has served 
several years in the town council and has also been treasurer of Tiro, where 
he is held in high esteem by members of both political parties and by the citi- 
zens generally. 



773 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ELI RININGER. 

One of the most substantial, prominent and highly esteemed citizens of 
Crawford county, Ohio, is Eli Rininger, a most worthy representative of one 
of the old and much respected families of Bedford county, Pennsylvania. The 
birth of our subject took place in Bedford county, on Decemher 14, 1845, anc ^ 
he was a son of John and Sophia (Black) Rininger, who had a family of nine 
children, the only survivors being William H., who is a resident of Lexington, 
Ohio; and Eli, who is the subject of this biography. 

John Rininger, who was the honored father of the subject of this record, 
was born in Bedford count}-, where for fort}" years he conducted a cabinet- 
making and undertaking establishment, in Shellsburg. He was also a success- 
ful farmer and owned a farm of one hundred and three acres of land near the 
above town, but the last twenty years of his life were spent in comfortable re- 
tirement. He was a life-long Democrat, and for a number of years was a jus- 
tice of the peace and was identified with many public affairs. From his early 
youth he had been a consistent member of the Lutheran church and was a con- 
stant attendant upon its services until his death, in 1890, in his eighty-third 
year. 

The mother of our subject belonged to one of the old and well established 
families of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, where she was born in 1809. She 
was a daughter of Joseph Black, who was a native of Maryland and located 
in Bedford county soon after his marriage. He was well known all through 
the county as a successful farmer. The mother died in 1865. 

Eli Rininger was reared on the home farm and attended the nearest 
schools and thus acquired a good common-school eucation. At the age of sev- 
enteen years he enlisted in the service of his country, first entering a regiment 
called the Independent Cavalry, in July, 1863, for the three-months service, 
when each volunteer supplied his own horse. His second enlistment, which 
was for three years, was on January 1, 1864, in Company H, Fifty-fifth Penn- 
sylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry, and his regiment was assigned to the 
Arm}- of the James. Mr. Rininger was a brave and daring soldier and he took 
part in thirteen engagements, some of these being : Old Town Creek, in Vir- 
ginia ; three days at Durris Bluff, in Virginia; two days at Cold Harbor, where 
he was wounded on June 3, 1864, when eleven thousand men fell inside of 
ninety minutes! Our subject was sent to' a hospital at Fort Schuyler, New 
York, where ^~ was confined for three months, and when he was permitted to 
rejoin his regiment it was in front of Petersburg, and the battle that was 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 779. 

fought there made the fourth one in which our subject was engaged. Tl^n came 
Chippens' Farm, Signal Hill, and Hatcher's Run, all in Virginia. At the last 
mentioned place four thousand Confederate prisoners were captured. Next 
came Fort Craig, which was one of the strongholds of Petersburg; Bright' s 
Station, Virginia; and Appomattox, when Mr. Rininger was present at the sur- 
render of the army of Gen. Lee. This list does not include the minor en- 
gagements, during which many a brave man lost his life. Our subject was 
discharged on August 30, 1865, at Petersburg, Virginia. 

Alter his return to peaceful pursuits our subject purchased his father's 
business, as he had learned the trade in his youth, and eight succeeding years 
were spent in the management of this business; but in 1873, influenced by the 
fervid literature of the land agents and the reports of many settlers already lo- 
cated there, emigrated to Douglas county, Kansas, and there purchased a farm, 
i lis experience was discouraging, as the first year the crops through his section 
were destroyed by the drought and the second year everything was eaten by the 
grasshoppers. His only remedy was to turn again eastward, leaving almost all 
he possessed behind. Upon reaching Ohio our subject rented a farm in Rich- 
land county, near Lexington, and there he engaged in farming for two years, 
and then came to Crawford county, locating in Auburn township. For two 
years our subject rented a farm, at the end of which period he moved to Tiro 
and there erected a residence and during the following year was employed in 
farming, teaming and other occupations. 

In the spring of 1880 Air. Rininger purchased what was known as the 
Rand-Xye farm, consisting of eighty acres of fine land. In 1885 he built a 
commodious and comfortable residence, and in 1890 erected a substantial bank 
barn, making other improvements which placed this estate among the best in 
the county. In 1891 he added twenty acres and has spared neither time nor 
expense in the improvement of his property, one item being the placing of 
twenty-one hundred rods of tile. The energy, good management and indus- 
try of our subject is worthy of note. 'When he came upon his farm it was 
with a debt of four thousand dollars, which has been cleared off; and not only 
does he have the proud consciousness of not owing a dollar but he has his prop- 
erty as mentioned, a town residence also, and in February of the current year 
he bought another farm, consisting of one hundred acres, which was the prop- 
erty of W. H. Carlisle, and is considered one of the finest farms in Auburn 
township. Mr. Rininger has been a very successful stock-raiser, making a 
specialty of hogs. 

The marriage of Mr. Rininger was on October 16, 1865, to Miss Maggie- 



780 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Hoover, who was a native of Indiana county Pennsylvania, and a daughter 
of Jacob Hoover. Eight children were born to our subject and wife, these be- 
ing as follows : Elwood, deceased ; Effie, deceased ; Dr. Edmund, of Nome, 
Alaska; Dr. William, of St. Louis, Missouri; Alfred Moody; Lucy May, the 
wife of Rev. Michael Y eagle, of Findlay, Ohio; Olive M., at home; and Eli 
Roy, deceased. Dr. Edmund M. Rininger is located in Nome, Alaska. He was 
one of a committee of three sent to congress in the winter of 1900- 1 to present 
the needs of the people of Alaska. Dr. William Rininger graduated at the 
Marion Simms Medical College in 1893, with high honors. For three years 
lie was the president of his class and since beginning practice has rapidly won 
his way to the front. 

For sixteen years our subject voted with the Prohibition party, but since 
that date has been associated with the Democratic party, and has been honored 
with many of the local offices, serving on the ticket at present as township trus- 
tee. Both he and wife are consistent and worthy members of the United 
Brethren church, in which he has long been the efficient Sunday-school super- 
intendent. Socially our subject is connected with the G. A. R. and much en- 
joys talking over the days when he and his comrades defended the Union. 

PETER B. LASH. 

Since early in the '30s the name of Lash has been favorably known in 
Crawford county, Ohio, and Peter B. Lash, who is the subject of this biog- 
raphy, is a most worthy representative of that pioneer family. The birth of 
Mr. Lash was in Crawford county, Ohio, on July 21, 1838, and he was a son 
of Peter and Mary (Fredline) Lash, who became the parents of ten children, 
the seven surviving members of the family being among some of the most 
highly esteemed residents of this part of Ohio. These are : Charity, who is 
the widow of Samuel McConnell, of Tiro, Ohio; Matilda, who is the widow of 
Frederick Mead, of Paint, Ohio; Peter B., who is the subject of this sketch; 
Franklin, who resides in Auburn township; Phoebe, who is the wife of Henry 
Eller, of Cranberry township; Francis, who lives in Auburn township; and 
Lucinda, who is the wife of Franklin Holsapler, of Allen county, Indiana. 

The father of our subject was born in New Jersey, about the year 1808, 
and bore the same name as our subject. While still a lad his parents removed 
from his native state and settled in Wayne county, Ohio, where Mr. Lash grew 
to manhood, later married Mary Fredline, who was the daughter of a neigh- 
boring farmer, and two children were born to them prior to their removal early 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 7S1 

in the '30s to Crawford count)', Ohio. When their canvas-covered wagon 
reached the new home, unbroken forest surrounded them. The fertile and 
well-cultivated fields which now delight the eye and fill to overflowing barns 
and granaries with their generous yield, were then but stretches of unknown 
woods and rank undergrowth, but the courage which inspired Mr. Lash and 
his brave wife to make the journey, in the hope of providing a future for their 
children, still filled their minds with hope and the strength to meet the new con- 
ditions. Here Mr. Lash entered one hundred and three acres of land, this 
farm now being owned and operated by his youngest son Francis. One of the 
mosl distressing features of pioneer life in almost every locality, was the pre- 
valence of fever and chills, the disease being called ague, and Mr. Lash suffered 
much in this way, and to> such an extent that a man of less energy and per- 
severance would have lost heart. However, he kept steadily at work and with 
amazing rapidity cleared his land, later added eighty acres to it and would 
doubtless been one of the largest landholders of the county had not his career 
been cut short by an attack of erysipelas, at the age of forty-three years. His 
political sympathies had always been with the Whig" party, and he was one of 
the leading" men of his neighborhood in assisting every enterprise looking 
toward morality and virtue. 

The honored mother of our subject survived her husband for thirty- 
five years, making her home on the farm. She was born in Somerset county, 
Pennsylvania, in 181 1, and her beautiful life ended on June 15, 1888, when she 
had reached the age of seventy-seven years, four months and twenty-two days. 
With her estimable husband she had really founded the Bucyrus circuit of the 
United Brethren church. She was a rare character, retiring, quiet, with a 
charity and a kindness of heart that made her life a benediction to all who 
knew her. 

It is a lasting good fortune to grow to manhood in a pious, virtuous home, 
and such was the case with our subject, Peter B. Lash. His common-school 
education was finished early so that he could become an earning factor in the 
household, as his older brother, George; had left the parental roof when our 
subject was but fifteen years of age. Thus much of the heavy farm work 
fell upon the latter' s shoulders, and later he and his younger brother Frank 
managed the farm together, until Frank was able to take entire charge. Our 
subject worked for three years at the carpenter's trade, but in 1864 he pur- 
chased a small place of twenty-five acres where he now resides. 

Mr. Lash was married on March 30, 1865, to> Miss Mary Kauffman, who 
was a native of Cranberry township and who was a daughter of Daniel and 



782 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Elizabeth (Kauffman) Kauffman. Mrs. Kauffman was a native of Holmes 
county, Ohio, while he was born in Pennsylvania, both of them coming to 
Richland county with their parents when they were children. They were 
married in that county and later moved to Crawford county, locating- in Cran- 
berry township, and Mrs. Kauffman still survives and resides in Tiro. 

After his marriage our subject located with his bride on his compact little 
farm, beginning housekeeping in a log cabin which had been erected by a 
former settler, and in the course of about seven years twenty-live more acres 
were added to the original purchase. In 1880 the log cabin was abandoned 
and removal was made to the substantial and comfortable residence which 
Mr. Lash had erected. About this time he bought an additional nineteen acres 
of land and in 1891 he added twenty-one more acres, his farm now consisting 
of ninety acres, well improved and under a fine state of cultivation. 

Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Lash, their names being as 
follows : Albert, the owner of the Grand F. Kauffman farm, in Cranberry 
township; Clara, at home; Levi, a teacher and a farmer in Auburn township; 
Cantwell, the farmer on the home farm ; and Anna and Grace, at home. 

For a number of years Mr. Lash was an ardent worker for the Prohi- 
bition party, but now is a supporter of Republican principles, believing that 
that party will ultimately solve the various problems which now disturb the 
country. The church in which his father and mother were so deeply inter- 
ested is the one in which he has reared his family, and he and wife, with four 
of their children, are active workers in it, while he has long been one of the 
class-leaders. No family in the county more deserves the high esteem in which 
this one is held. 

ANDREW WINGERT. 

Andrew YVingert, one of the substantial and representative farmers of 
Crawford county, was born in Erie county, New York, on the 6th of June, 
1835, a son of Godfrey and Anna (Kahler) Wingert. The father w^as born 
in Bavaria, Germany, in 1807, a son of Andrew and Catherine Wingert. He 
was reared in his native country, and at the age of twenty-three years, in 1830, 
he left the land of his birth for the VJnited States, his parents joining him in 
this country about two years later. He arrived in this country with only six 
cents in his pocket, but with only this small sum with which to secure the neces- 
sities of life he refused a position of ten dollars a month, as the work necessi- 
tated the milking of a cow. He made his way to the vicinity of Buffalo, where 
he secured work at six dollars a month, and there he was married and pur- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 7«3 

chased a small tract of twenty acres, where he resided until 1836. In that 
year he came to Ohio, coming by the Great Lakes to Sandusky, where he hired 
a team and brought his family to Crawford county. 

The grandfather of our subject after coming to the United States also 
located in Erie county, where he purchased a small tract of land. He had four 
sons, Godfrey, Jacob, Henry and Christ. The three younger sons were me- 
chanics, and one was also a shoe-maker, one a blacksmith, and the other a 
cooper and brewer. Jacob, who followed blacksmithing, removed to Detroit 
soon after the family located in this state, and afterward came to Crawford 
county, where he induced his father to join him. In 1835 the latter sold his. 
place in Erie county and came to this locality, purchasing one hundred and 
seventy acres of land in Liberty township, the present site of the water works 
reservoir. A sawmill had also been built upon the land, and it was the fa- 
ther's intention to have the sons conduct the mill. The land was finally divid- 
ed among the sons, and there Godfrey Wingert, the father of our subject, lo- 
cated on his arrival in Crawford county. Henry received the land on which 
the mill was located for his share, which he operated for a number of years. 
Godfrey located on his forty-two and a half acres, and later acquired the shares, 
originally owned by his brothers Jacob and Christ, making a tract of one hun- 
dred and twenty-eight acres, and there he passed to his final reward in March,. 
1879. He was a Democrat in political matters, and was an active member of 
the Reformed church. He was a fine old gentleman, and was highly esteemed 
by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. The mother of our subject 
was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1807, and she came to the United 
States with a sister, Mrs. Sclairley, when sixteen years of age. Her death 
occurred in 1887. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Wingert were born eight children, six 
of whom still survive, namely: Andrew, the subject of this review; George, a. 
resident of Laclede, Missouri; Maria, widow of Jacob Kinsey, and a resident 
of Todd township, Crawford county; Louisa, the wife of Herman Manhardt„ 
of Custer, Wood county, Ohio; Amos, of Fulton county, Ohio; and Leonard, 
who makes his home near Lincoln, Nebraska. 

Andrew Wingert, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared to 
manhood under the parental roof and acquired his education in an old log 
schoolhouse with puncheon floor and slab benches. In 1859 ne was united in 
marriage with Miss Elizabeth Schifley, a native of Erie county, New York, 
and a daughter of John Schifley. To this union was added one child, who is 
now deceased. After a happy married life of only three years the wife also died, 

and two years later Mr. Wingert married Miss Fidelia Kinsey, a native of Erie 

44 



784 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

county, New York, and a daughter of Jacob Kinsey, who was of Pennsylvania 
German descent. Nine children were born unto this marriage, but only seven 
are now living, namely : Hattie. who resides with her sister, Mary Sharp : Jen- 
nie and Franklin, twins, who are both at home; Rufus and Ephraim, also at 
home; and Alary, the wife of Edward Sharp, of Bucyrus township, Crawford 
o >unty ; and Martha, at home. The mother of these children has also passed 
to the home beyond, her death occurring on the 7th of April, 1886. 

After his first marriage Air. Wingert located on his present home farm, 
which was then a vast wilderness, and he cut the first stick of timber upon the 
place with which to build his log cabin. He began his business career with an 
indebtedness of six hundred dollars hanging over him, but pluck and energy are 
numbered among his chief characteristics, and he soon placed his farm under 
a tine state of cultivation. His place now contains one hundred and seventy- 
rive acres of choice land, and he now takes rank among the leading farmers 
of the county. In political matters he is a stanch supporter of the Democracy, 
his first presidential vote having been cast for James Buchanan, but although 
a public spirited and loyal citizen he has never been an aspirant for political 
honors, preferring to give his undivided attention to his business interests. 
He is an active worker and prominent member of the Reformed church, and all 
movements to uplift his fellowmen receive in him a warm friend. 



AARON CHANCE. 

Among the old settlers of Todd township, Crawford county, Ohio, no 
residents are more highly esteemed and universally respected than Aaron 
Chance and his wife, these venerable people being the oldest married couple in 
the township. The birth of Mr. Chance was in Harrison county, Ohio, on 
May 27, 1816. His father died before his birth and he was left motherless 
when but seven vears of age. His grandparents gave him parental care and he 
lived with them and grew up in a farming neighborhood, remaining- at home 
until his marriage to Miss Jane Bell, on March 26, 1840. She was born on 
January 16, 1817. and together they have weathered the storms and enjoyed 
the comforts of life for sixty-one years. The four children born to them were 
James. Sarah J., deceased, Nomenia and Jonas. 

In 1852 Air. and Airs. Chance came to Crawford county and settled in 
Bucyrus township, first renting land for four years and then buying a tract of 
wild land, and building a log cabin. In 1867 they located on their present 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 785 

farm of one hundred and thirty acres, in Todd township, where Mr. Chance 
has carried on a general line of farming. 

In politics Mr, Chance has always been a Republican. Although his 
education was only such as could be obtained during a short period in the sub- 
scription schools, he is a well informed man and one of the most highly re- 
spected among the old settlers. 

LEONARD STARKER. 

Among the highly respected citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, is Leon- 
ard Starner, who has been a resident of this county since 1841. Although 
Pennsylvania was the state of his birth, Mr. Starner has lived a long and suc- 
cessful life in Ohio, and is reckoned with her most esteemed and substantial 
citizens. 

The parents of Leonard Starner, who is the subject of this record, were 
Sharick and Ann (Ensley) Starner, natives of Pennsylvania, who emigrated 
with their children to Ohio some time later than 1830, spending their first 
■winter in Perry county. In the following spring Mr. Starner removed to Fair- 
field county, remaining there until 1841, when he came to Crawford county, 
attracted thither by the desirable lands of this favored portion of the state. 
Here he located on the Marion road, some seven miles from Bucvrus, and here 
he farmed for two years, on rented land, later buying eighty acres near the 
Scioto bridge. Seven years afterward Mr. Starner sold this farm and then 
purchased eighty-three acres where Jacob Duncan now lives, and upon that 
property he resided until the time of his death, at the age of sixty-three vears. 
He was reared in the Democratic political faith, but after casting his vote for 
President Lincoln he remained in sympathy with, the Republican party. To 
his first marriage twelve children were born, the four survivors being: Leon- 
ard, the subject of this sketch; Emily, the widow of Mr. Buchmaster, of Allen 
county, Ohio: Minerva, the wife of Frank Harvey, of Bucyrus; and Enslev, 
a resident of Missouri. Mr. Starner was married three months prior to his 
death, to a Miss Kile. 

Leonard Starner was born in 1825 and accompanied the family when it 
came to Ohio and later when it located in Crawford county. He was given 
the best educational advantages that the time afforded, and at the age of twen- 
ty-one began life for himself. On May 13, 1852, he was united in marriage 
to Miss Mary M. Warner, who was a native of the state of New York, born 
three miles from Buffalo, and she was a daughter of Joseph Warner, who 



;86 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

came to this county in 1838, settling in Bucyrus township, later removing to 
Seneca township, where he died. 

After marriage Mr. Starner began farming on a tract of eighty acres 
which he had purchased, and this has been the family home ever since, twenty 
additional acres having been since added. A family of twelve children were 
born to our subject and wife, the eight survivors of this family being as fol- 
lows : Ranford, of Nevada, Ohio ; Phoebe J., the wife of Griffin Davise, of In- 
diana ; Joseph L., of Todd township; John, of Nevada, Ohio; Edward, of 
Nevada, Ohio; Alfretta, the wife of Frank Shaffstall, who is the home farmer; 
Eugene, of Todd township ; and Luella, at home. 

In politics our subject has ever been one of the stanch supporters of the 
Republican party and has taken an active and intelligent interest in all public 
affairs. Although not formally connected with any church organization, Mr. 
Starner contributes to the support of all; and although he has lived a com- 
paratively quiet life it has been one of usefulness and uprightness, and he en- 
joys the esteem of all who know him. 

GEORGE E. SIGLER. 

One of the highly esteemed old settlers of Todd township, Crawford 
county, Ohio, who has been a resident of this place for more than half a cen- 
turv, is George E. Siger, who was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, on 
October 23, 1826. His education was acquired in the log school-house of 
pioneer times, and even the instruction there received was obtained under 
difficulties, as he was obliged to walk more than two miles in order to reach 
the schol-house. At the age of twenty-one years Mr. Sigler began life for 
himself. His father had a sawmill in the woods, in Crawford county, and our 
subject worked in this mill for two years and also assisted in clearing and 
cultivating the farm. 

Mr. Sigler married Miss Harriet Hoorick and his children are named 
Loraine, Elliott, Rosamund and Dal. Soon after marriage Mr. Sigler began 
making improvements on his farm of eighty acres. It was heavily timbered 
and much hard work was required in order to clear and cultivate it, but finally 
seventy acres were in fine condition. There the family lived until 187 J, when 
Mr. Sigler removed to the tract upon which he now resides, this consisting of 
one hundred and seventeen acres, and since locating upon it Mr. Sigler has 
given his entire attention to its improvement, the result being that he now 
owns one of the most desirable farms in Todd township. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 7$7 

In politics he has been a life-long Democrat. He is well and favorably 
known through all this neighborhood, and is very well posted not only on the 
current events but can be most entertaining concerning the pioneer days. 
With interest he has watched the wonderful growth of every industry and has 
done his part in the development of the farming interests. 

THOMAS REGULA. 

Thomas Regula, who is engaged in general farming and stock-raising 
in Chatfield township, has spent his entire life in the vicinity of his present 
home. He was born on the farm in the township where George Kibler now 
resides, the date of his birth being February 29, 1850. His father, Jacob 
Regula, was born in Rhine province of Germany, in 181 1, and in 1831, when 
twenty years of age, crossed the Atlantic to America as a passenger on a sail- 
ing vessel, which reached the American harbor after a voyage of six weeks. 
He at once made his way westward to Crawford county, Ohio, and secured 
employment as a farm hand in Chatfield township. He thus worked for two 
years after which he purchased thirty acres of land, on which he erected a log- 
cabin. He removed to his farm in 1872, and continued its cultivation and 
improvement until his death, which occurred in the year 1890, at the ripe old 
age of seventy-nine years. In earl}- manhood he had married Catherine Reidle, 
and unto them were born the following children : Louisa, wife of Aaron 
Colb; Catherine, who is now deceased; Christina, wife of Daniel Fox, a 
farmer ; Peter, who is living in Seneca county, Ohio ; Jacob, who makes his 
home with his brother Thomas, who is the next in order of birth. 

Thomas Regula was born and reared upon his father's farm and remained 
on the old home place until twenty-nine years of age. He attended the com- 
mon schools until he had mastered the usual branches of learning taught in 
such institutions, after which he gave his attention entirely to the farm work. 
from the time of early spring planting until crops were gathered in the autumn. 
At the age of twenty-nine he was married to Catherine Brown, and they now 
have four children — Daniel, John, Robert and Edwin. 

After his marriage Mr. Regula began operating his father's farm on the 
shares, and later, when his labors had brought to him some capital he pur- 
chased land of his own, and is now the owner of one hundred acres, consti- 
tuting a valuable place. He carries on general farming and stock-raising, 
and in both departments of his business is meeting with good success. His 
place is well improved with modern equipments and the owner is numbered 



788 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

among the substantial and industrious farmers of his neighborhood. Al- 
though his life has been a busy one he has found time to devote to the public 
service and for several years has served as school director. He is also one 
of the trustees of Chatfield township and in politics is a Democrat, believing 
firmly in the principles of his party. As his entire life has been passed in 
Chatfield township he is well known and has gained many friends among its 
residents and in other parts of the county. 

JACOB FAUSER. 

The fine farm with its many excellent improvements which is the prop- 
erty of Jacob Fauser is a monument to his enterprise and labor, for all that he 
possesses has been acquired through his own efforts. He was born in Colum- 
biana county, Ohio, April 2j, 1837, a son of John G. Fauser, who was a na- 
tive of Wurtemberg, Germany, and when a young man came to the United 
States, locating in Columbiana county, Ohio, where he was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Magdaiine Crume. They became the parents of nine children, 
nameh : Living; Mary, deceased; George G., now a resident of Erie county, 
Ohio: Elizabeth, who has passed away; Catherine, the wife of Abraham 
Burkey, a resident, of Lykens township; and Caroline, John, Abraham and 
Lena, all of whom have departed this life. The father of these children was 
a baker by trade, but through much of his life followed farming. About 
1839 he came to Crawford count}' and secured one hundred and sixty acres 
of land in Chatfield township, upon which he erected a log cabin of one room. 
Therein he began life in true pioneer style, but as the years passed and his 
financial resources increased he was enabled to add many modern improve- 
ments to his place. He continued farming for many years, and died on the 
old homestead, September 19, 1892, at the age of eighty-two years. His wife 
passed away a year later, and thus ended the earthly career of two of the hon- 
ored pioneer settlers of the county. 

Jacob Fauser was only two years of age when, with his parents, he came 
to this county, and amid the wild scenes of the frontier he was reared, sharing 
with the family in the usual hardships and trials incident to the settlement of 
a new country. As his age and strength permitted he assisted in the work of 
the home farm, where he remained until his marriage, which occurred in 
1868, Miss Elizabeth Riedle becoming his wife. For a third of a century she 
has been to him a faithful helpmate on life's journey. The home has been 
blessed with the following living children : Samuel, Jacob, Mary, Louisa and 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 789 

William, and they have also lost three daughters, — Elizabeth, Emma and 
Lydia. 

Soon after his marriage Mr. Fatiser located on the farm which has since 
been his place of residence. The young couple began domestic life here in 
a little log building, but it has long since been replaced with a modern brick 
residence, and many other accessories of the model farm have been added, in- 
cluding substantial barns and outbuildings for the shelter of grain and stock. 
The farm embraces one hundred acres of rich land, and as a general farmer 
Mr. Fauser is meeting with desirable success, annually harvesting good crops 
and thereby adding to his income. He and his estimable wife are members 
of the Pietist church, and in his political affiliations he is a Democrat. He has 
served as school director and road supervisor and his faithfulness to duty has 
challenged uniform commendation. His worth is widely acknowledged in 
the count v where he has made his home through more than six decades and 
which he has seen transformed from a wild region into one of rich fertility > 
enjoying commercial and agricultural prosperity. 

JACOB RIEDLE. 

Jacob Riedle, who is engaged in general farming in Chattield township, 
where he owns one hundred and fifty acres of land, was born in the same town- 
ship. January 2. 1846, and is a representative of one of the oldest families of 
the county. His father, Jacob Riedle. Sr.. was born in Rhineburg. Germany, 
September 24, 1809. and worked in a stone quarry in that country. In 1840 
he came to the United States with his father, the family establishing their 
home in Crawford county. There were live children in the grandfather's fam- 
ily : Frederick, Mary. Jacob, Catherine and Elizabeth, all now deceased. 
They took up their abode on a farm in Chattield township and there the grand- 
father lived to an advanced age. 

Jacob Riedle, Sr., the father of our subject, began working as a farm hand 
by the month after his arrival in Crawford county, and later he turned his 
attention to the manufacture of potash. As a companion and helpmate fpr 
the ijourney of life he chose Miss Elizabeth Ricker. and they became the par- 
ents of five children : Elizabeth, the wife of Jacob Fauser ; Jacob, whose name 
heads this record; Peter, who is living in Chattield township; and Catherine 
and Mary, who have departed this life. In the year 1859 the father pur- 
chased forty acres of the farm upon which his son and namesake now resides. 
There was a log cabin upon the place and a few improvements had been made. 



79Q CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

He at once began the work of developing - the property and in due course of 
time transformed it into a valuable farm. His death occurred July 8, 1892, 
at the age of eighty-three years, and his wife passed away in 1897. They 
were both consistent Christian people, holding membership in the Presbyterian 
church. 

When only thirteen years of age Jacob Riedle, whose name stands at the 
head of this review, came to the farm upon which he now lives. He was 
educated in the common schools, attending through the winter season, while 
in the summer he worked on the farm, giving his father the benefit of his 
services throughout his minority. He continued to assist him in the cultiva- 
tion of the place until his marriage, when he assumed the entire management 
and has since successfully engaged in its cultivation. He to-day owns one 
hundred and fifty acres of land, of which one hundred and twenty-five acres 
are cleared and divided into fields of convenient size for improving. 

On the 9th of April, 1874, Mr. Riedle was united in marriage to Miss 
Fredericka Brosa, and they now have one daughter, Lena. They are well- 
known people of this part of the county and have a large circle of friends. 
Their home is a pleasant one, and Mr. Riedle has made most of the improve- 
ments upon the farm. He is industrious, determined and self-reliant, and may 
well be called a self-made man, for his prosperity has come as the merited re- 
ward to his efforts. 

FRAN-K STUMPF. 

Frank Stumpf, a well-known representative of the agricultural interests 
of Crawford county, is now living on section 21, Jackson township. He was 
born upon the farm which is yet his home, March 28, 1857, and in his life mani- 
fests many of the characteristic traits of his German ancestry. His father, 
Joseph Stumpf, was a native of Baden, where he followed the occupation of 
farming until thirty-five years of age, when he crossed the briny deep to the 
new world and located upon the farm which is now the home of his son Frank. 
He at first owned eighty acres of land, but with the passing years increased his 
realtv possessions until at the time of his death he had a valuable tract of one 
hundred and fifty-six acres. His political support was of the men and measures 
of the Democracy. In this count}- he married Miss Catherine Becher, who 
was born in Crawford county and pursued her education in a log school house 
near her home. Her parents were natives of the fatherland and became early 
settlers of this community. The parents of our subject had the following 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 79 1 

children, all born on the old homestead where Frank Stumpf now resides, 
namely: Vince, a conductor on the Ohio Central Railroad; Lawrence, now 
deceased; Lawrence, the second of the name, who is farming in Crawford 
county ; Elizabeth, of Galion ; Amore and Martin, who have passed away ; 
John, who is engaged in farming with his brother Frank ; Lee, who is in the 
employ of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company ; and Anth- 
ony, who has also passed away. 

Frank Stumpf, of this review, is the third child. His entire life has been 
passed in Crawford county and in his youth he engaged in the pleasures of 
the playground and the duties of the school-room and in the labors of the 
field, finding, perhaps, in the first mentioned the greatest enjoyment, but the 
other two proved to him a practical preparation for life's responsible duties. 
He and his brother John now own and operate the old homestead together and 
are enterprising agriculturists whose labors are bringing to' them a good finan- 
cial return. 

Mr. Stumpf, of this review, was married to Miss Sophia Seafrety, who 
was born in German}' and died in 1898. Mr. Stumpf wedded Agnes Winters, 
a sister of his first wife. She was born in Germany, June 8, 1877, and they be- 
came the parents of twins, but one is now deceased. 

In his political affiliations Mr. Stumpf is a Democrat. He and his family 
are members of St. Joseph's Catholic church. 

WILLIAM BROWN. 

The subject of this review is a man of much influence in his community, 
for he is highly respected, and is justly regarded as a man of sound judg- 
ment in public affairs as well as in matters relating to the farm. The property 
which he now owns is located in Vernon township, and is one of the best im- 
proved and fertile farms of the locality. 

Mr. Brown is a native son of Crawford county, his birth having oc- 
curred in Vernon township, on the 24th of April, 1852, a son of John and 
Catherine (Kinney) Brown. He was early inured to the labors of field and 
meadow, and his educational advantages were those afforded by the common 
Schools of the neighborhood. At the early age of seventeen years he beg'an his 
career as a farm hand, working for neighboring farmers until after his mar- 
riage, when he located on a farm of one hundred and thirty acres belonging to 
his father-in-law, in Vernon township, making his home thereon for two years. 
In 1880 he became the owner of the farm which he now occupies, consisting of 



792 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

one hundred and thirty acres, and here lie has ever since made his home. He 
has been very successful in his farming operations, and in addition to the 
raising of the cereals best adapted to this soil and climate he is also extensively 
engaged in the breeding of Aberdeen and Durham cattle. For a number of 
years he was also engaged in the breeding of Shire and Norman horses, but 
of late years he has paid but little attention to that branch of business. In the 
spring of 1900 he acquired a two-thirds interest in a one-hundred-acre farm, 
formerly known as the Carlisle place, and his present fine residence was 
erected in 1893. 

The marriage of Mr. Brown was celebrated in January. 1878, when Miss 
Clara McManus became his wife. She is a daughter of William McManus. 
Two children have been born unto this union, — Frank and John W., both at 
home. The Democracy receives. Mr. Brown's hearty support and co-opera- 
tion, and religiously he is a member of the German Lutheran church, in which 
he is an active and zealous worker. He is well known as a public-spirited 
citizen, and exhibits among his excellent traits of character honesty, integrity 
and sterling worth. 

JACOB BROWN. 

Jacob Brown is one of the thrifty and substantial farmers of Crawford 
county, where he has passed his entire life. Personally he bears a high repu- 
tation for honorable and upright dealing with his fellow men, and is always 
found in the front rank in the world of improvement and public benefit. 

Mr. Brown was born in Vernon township, Crawford county, on the 28th 
of November, 1855, a son of John and Catherine Brown. He acquired a lim- 
ited education in the common schools of his locality, and as early as nine years 
of age he was following the plow, making a hand at farm work, and from that 
time until reaching years of maturity he spent much of his time in working for 
neighboring farmers. After his marriage he rented one of his father-in-law's 
farms for three years, the place consisting of two hundred and ten acres, and 
was located west of the place on which he now resides. In 1881 he became 
the owner of eighty acres of his present homestead, which he purchased of his 
father-in-law, and by unremitting labor and close attention to business success 
has attended his efforts. In 1893 ne purchased eighty acres of land adjoin- 
ing his home on the west, formerly known as the Cole place, thus making- him 
the possessor of one hundred and sixty acres of rich and fertile land. Here 
he is successfully engaged in general farming and in the raising of Shorthorn 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 793 

cattle. His fields are under a fine state of cultivation, and in both branches 
of his business prosperity has abundantly rewarded his well-directed efforts. 

On the 14th of October, 1875, Mr. Brown was united in marriage with 
Miss Mary Schwerer, also a native of Vernon township, and a daughter of 
George and Elizabeth ( Heltman) Schwerer. The parents were born in Darm- 
stadt, Germany, and their marriage was celebrated just prior to their embark- 
ing on their journey for the new world. After their arrival in America they 
spent a short time in Pennsylvania and then continued the journey to Mans- 
field, Ohio, where they remained for some years, when they came to Crawford 
county, locating in Leesville. Later they removed to the farm which adjoins 
our subject's place on the east, and there they are now spending the evening 
of life in the enjoyment of the fruits of their former toil. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Brown have been born four children, namely: Will- 
iam J., who operates one of his father's farms; Elsie M., wife of Aaron Cole, 
of Vernon township ; and Ralph W. and Edmon E., who are still at home. 
Mr. Brown gives his political support to the Democracy, but has refused to 
allow his name to be used in connection with public office, as the honors or 
emoluments of public positions have had no attraction for him. The family 
are members of the German Lutheran church, and for a number of years he 
has held the office of steward therein. His life has been characterized by 
energy, perseverance and hard work, and to these principles his success is due. 
He began his career under adverse circumstances, having been compelled to 
make his own way in the world, and his success in life illustrates most forcibly 
the power of patient and persistent effort and self-reliance. 

ADAM FEICK. 

One of the prosperous and highly respected farmer citizens of Crawford 
county, Ohio, who has been and still is prominently identified with the political 
and religious interests of his locality, is Adam Feick, the owner of one of the 
best cultivated and improved farms in the county. 

The birth of Mr. Feick was in Vernon township, in this county, on June 
10, 1845, an d he was a son of Philip and Elizabeth (Fetter) Feick, and was 
one of a family of ten children, five of whom still survive, these being as fol- 
lows : John, of this township; Jacob, a carpenter in Crestline, Ohio; Adam, 
our subject; George, on the old home; and Mack, of this township. 

Philip Feick, the father of our subject, was born in Hesse-Darmstadt r 
Germanv, and grew to manhood there, where he learned the shoemaker's trade. 



794 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Immediately after his marriage he and his bride emigrated to America, lo- 
cating in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he carried on his business for three 
years. When neighbors and friends began the westward movement which re- 
sulted in the settlement of this part of Ohio, Mr. Feick also decided to secure 
some land in order to make further provision for his family. With one horse 
and a spring wagon he came to Crawford county, and as his means were lim- 
ited he gave the horse and wagon as part payment on a tract of forty acres of 
land in Vernon township. At that time little clearing and no cultivation had 
been done on this land, which was partly swamp and partly timber. During 
the spring and fall rains the struggling pioneers lost many of their cattle by 
their miring- in the overflowed marshy grounds. However, Mr. Feick pos- 
sessed the sturdy perseverance of his race and did not permit himself to be 
discouraged, and in time he conquered difficulties and became one of the very 
successful farmers of the county, owning at the time of his death about two 
hundred and forty acres of fine land, all of which he had placed under cultiva- 
tion and improvement. His years extended to seventy-seven and he had been 
one of the most useful and progressive citizens of his township. In early life 
he had been connected with the Lutheran church, but after the division came 
he became a member of the German Reformed church and for years was both 
a trustee and an elder. A man of strong character, he was a leader among his 
Democratic brethren, and served in many of the local offices and was township 
trustee for a long period. 

Although Adam Feick is now one of the most intelligent and well-in- 
formed citizens of his township, his early educational advantages were very 
limited. His schooling was principally in the German schools, only five weeks 
being afforded him in the English school; but any disadvantage of that kind 
has long since been forgotten, for Mr. Feick, in his public life, has mingled 
with the residents of his county to so great a degree that any difference is 
little noted. His father was an energetic and industrious man. and he re- 
quired the same habits in his children, so that very little time was given in 
those days to books, while the work on the farm was pressing. 

On June 20, 1866, our subject was married to Miss Catherine Cook, who 
was a native of Richland county, Ohio, and who was a daughter of George 
Cook, a native of Germain-, who came to America after attaining- manhood, 
and settled in Richland county, where he became one of the substantial citizens. 
After his marriage our subject worked for his father-in-law for some eighteen 
months and then removed to his present home farm of eighty acres, which had 
been purchased by his father, some time prior to this, with this end in view. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 795 

In 1878 this fine farm became the property of our subject, his father only re- 
quiring- of him one-quarter of the crop during the former's lifetime. 

Three children were born to our subject and wife, and two of these still 
survive, these being : Catherine, the wife of Philip Glower, of Jefferson town- 
ship; and Philip, of Sandusky township. Mrs. Feick died on February 28, 
1872, and on October 7, 1873, our subject was married to Miss Elizabeth 
Frank, who was a native of Wyandot county, Ohio, and the daughter of Peter 
Frank, who emigrated to Wyandot county from Hesse-Darmstadt. Seven 
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Feick, as follows : Peter, of Jeffer- 
son township; William, at home; Ida, at home; Bena, the wife of William 
Holcher, of Crestline, Ohio; and Lizzie, Christian and Tillie, at home. 

Air. Feick has been very prominent in Democratic political circles. For 
four years he served as constable and for nine years was the efficient super- 
visor of the township. The high esteem in which he is held in the county 
was shown in 1893, when he was elected to the important position of a director 
on the board of county infirmary, and for six years lie faithfully and consci- 
entiously performed the duties of the office. 

Mr. Feick has lived a busy and useful life, but he has never neglected his 
duties as a consistent member of the German Reformed church, in which he 
has served as trustee and is now one of its faithful stewards. He has been 
liberal in support of all charitable and benevolent enterprises in his locality 
and is justly regarded as one of the leading men of the county, highly esteemed 
both at home and abroad. 

SOLOMON HARLEY. 

The birth of Solomon Harley, who is the subject of this biography, was 
in Chatfield township, in this county, on October 24, 1841, and he was the 
second son in the family o>f his parents, John and Anna (Rock) Harley. Ten 
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Harley, the seven survivors being as fol- 
lows : George, a merchant in Leesburg-, Kosciusko- county, Indiana ; Solomon, 
the subject of this biography; Susan, the wife of John Bittikofer, of Sulphur 
Springs, in this count} - . Mary, the wife of Samuel Knecht, of Petoskey, Mich- 
igan; Caroline, the wife of Aaron Flohr, of Xew Washing-ton, in this county; 
Alexander, the county treasurer of Kosciusko^ county, Indiana; and Isaac, of 
Shelby, Ohio. 

John Harley was born in Baden, Germany, in 1815, and he was a son of 
John and Margaret Harley, people of limited means who came to America' 



796 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

after their son had become able to care for them. He nobly fulfilled this 
filial dut}', building them a house for their comfortable residence and cared for 
them until their lives ended. John Harley was but seventeen years of age 
when he came to America and made his home soon after in Columbiana county, 
Ohio. There he married and lived for two more years in the same locality, 
coming then to Crawford county. Here he located on a farm of eighty acres, 
in Chatfield township, forty acres of which he had purchased prior to coming 
hither, the other forty acres being given him by his father-in-law. Upon this 
land Mr. Harley erected a log cabin, living in an old shed while he was building 
this residence. In time he cleared his land and in later years he purchased ad- 
ditional land until his farm consisted of one hundred and sixty acres. In 
1864 he sold this farm and purchased the one hundred and ten acres which com- 
prise the farm of our subject, located in Sandusky township. Before remov- 
ing to this place Mr. Harley built on it one of the handsomest and most at- 
tractive residences in Crawford county, making it a home filled with comforts 
and conveniences. Here his useful life closed three years later, passing away 
surrounded by sorrowing friends. In politics he had ever been an ardent 
Republican, and was active in public affairs in his neighborhood. In former 
years he had been connected with the Methodist church, but at the time of 
his death he was a consistent member of the Reformed church. 

The mother of our subject was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, on 
December 8, 1812, and she was the daughter of Henry and Maria Barbara 
(Reith) Rock, both of whom were natives of Berks county, Pennsylvania. 
They came to Crawford county from Columbiana county, having resided there 
some years, and located in Liberty township at an early day. Mr. Rock came 
into the possession of about three hundred acres of land and was one of the 
substantial farmers of the county. The mother of our subject died in her 
eighty-ninth year, on February 3, 1901, having been for many years one of the 
most devoted members of the Reformed church. 

Solomon Harlev, of this sketch, was reared on the home farm and edu- 
cated in the common schools. After attaining his majority he remained at 
home as the farmer, receiving his share of the yield, but in 1870 he purchased 
an interest in a sawmill and after that period he gave the greater part of his 
time and attention to the management of this property, continuing to operate 
this mill during the larger part of twenty-five years. After his marriage he 
removed to a residence situated near the mill, and here his first wife died, three 
years later, and then he returned to the home farm, where he has since re- 
sided. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 797 

In 1875 our subject, in connection with his brother Isaac, took charge of 
the home farm and carried on a general line of agricultural work in the interest 
of the heirs, continuing until about 1887, when the whole burden was assumed 
by our subject, his brother Isaac marrying at that time and removing to an- 
other locality. Mr. Harley still continued on the farm and in 1900 bought the 
property. His long residence upon it made it doubly valuable to him, and he 
has now not only one of the best farms but also one of the finest residences in 
this vicinity. 

The first marriage of Solomon Harley was in 1870, to Miss Minerva A. 
Stevens, who was a native of Cranberry township, in this county, and who 
was a daughter of Jacob Stevens, a resident of Tiro, of whom extended men- 
tion is made in another part of this work. Two children were born of this 
union, the survivor being Elmer J., who is in the insurance business in Kan- 
sas City. The second marriage of our subject was in 1875, to Miss Anna 
Immel, who was a native of Cranberry township and a daughter of Philip 
Immel, a native of Pennsylvania, who was one of the pioneers of Crawford 
county. To this marriage six children have been born, the five survivors beinpr 
as follows: Nora, Charles, Homer, Clara and Leroy, all of these still residing" 
in their beautiful home, with the exception of Charles, who lives in Tiro. 

In politics Mr. Harley has been a life-long Republican and has most effi- 
ciently served for the past twelve years as justice of the peace, filling also many 
of the other offices, serving during one term as the careful and accurate town- 
ship treasurer, and for several years served as a member of the board of school 
directors, and many of the excellent reforms introduced into the school system 
in this district have resulted from his intelligent interest. Mr. Harley is 
justly considered one of the leading citizens of Sandusky township, and is a 
man who has established a reputation through the county for unimpeachable 
integrity. 

AMOS F. KELLER. 

Rising above the heads of the' masses are many men of sterling worth and 
value, who by sheer perseverance and pluck have conquered fortune, and by 
their own unaided efforts have risen from the ranks of commonplace to emi- 
nence and positions of respect and trust. It is to his perseverance and in- 
domitable energy that Amos F. Keller owes his success in life, as well as to his 
keen and brilliant mind. He has continued through life a diligent student, 
being now one of the best informed men on general subjects in Crawford 
countv, and as an orator he also stands in the front rank. 



793 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

A native son of the Buckeye state, Mr. Keller was born in the house 
where he still resides, his parents being Phillip and Hannah (Stucker) 
Keller. He acquired his early education in the common schools of the 
neighborhood, supplementing the knowledge there gained by a scientific 
course under Professor Churchill, of Oberlin University, and for eight years 
thereafter he also pursued the Ohio> teachers' reading course. At the age of 
nineteen years he began teaching in the district schools, which profession he fol- 
lowed for eighteen years during the winter months, while in the summers he 
worked in field and meadow. When twenty-one years of age he and his 
brother, John H., took charge of the home farm, which they conducted on 
the shares for two years, after which our subject had entire charge of the old 
homestead, the brother removing to another farm. On the 30th of October, 
1895, Mr. Keller was united in marriage with Miss H. Maudesta Carrothers, 
a daughter of James B. Carrothers, of Vernon township and a sketch of whom 
will be found on another page of this work. This union has been blessed with 
three children, — Constance Rebecca, John Carrothers and Robert Warren. 

In political matters Mr. Keller was reared in the faith of the Republican 
party, and his first vote was cast in its favor, but in later life he has identified 
himself with the Labor party. In 1894 he was a candidate on the People'3 
ticket for congress, and in 1896 and again in 1900 he stumped this entire 
section of the country for Bryan. He has also held the position of organizer 
of labor under Powderly one year. Mr. Keller is a great reader, and in recent 
years his study has largely been confined to philosophical and historical works, 
while at the present time he is engaged in reading law. He has one of the 
largest and most complete general libraries in Crawford county. Religiously 
he is an active member of the German Reformed church, in which he is at the 
present time serving as an elder, and he is as broad-minded and liberal in his 
religious views as upon all other subjects. With a capacity and experience 
which would enable him to fulfill any trust to which he might be chosen, he 
has never sought to advance himself in office, but has been content to do his 
duty where he could and leave the self-seeking to others. Viewed in a per- 
sonal light, he is a strong man, of excellent judgment, lair in his views and 
highly honorable in his relations with his fellow men. He is a man of very 
strong convictions, and his integrity stands as an unquestioned fact in his 
career. He has always been a student, and the scope and amplitude of his 
knowledge render him a charming conversationalist. He is in full sympathy 
with all the great movements of the world about him, and watches the progress 
of events with the keenest interest. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 799 

JACOB PRY. 

Jacob Pry, who is a well-known and highly esteemed resident of Craw- 
ford count}-, Ohio, was born in Sandusky township, in this county, in Decem- 
ber, 1846, and he was a son of Frederick and Rickey (Bowman) Pry, the for- 
mer of whom was born in Germany in 1803 and died on April 1, 1893, in his 
ninetieth year. After coming to the United States with his mother and 
brothers and sisters, the father of our subject bought a farm near Sulphur 
Springs, in Liberty township, Crawford county, Ohio, and later sold it and 
bought the fine property now owned and occupied by our subject. 

Jacob Pry, of this biography, grew to manhood on his father's farm and 
attended the common schools. After reaching his twenty-first year he started 
out to make a career for himself, beginning as a farm hand, his labor bringing 
excellent wages. In this line he continued until his marriage, on April 28, 
1870, to Miss Elizabeth Gundrum, who was a native of Sandusky township. 

After marriage Mr. Pry, in association with his brother John, bought the 
farm now owned and occupied by the latter, and here the two brothers com- 
bined their interests together for some years. Then our subject removed from 
there and engaged in farming on rented land for a number of years. In the 
latter part of the '80s our subject and Lewis Pry bought the old Kinsley farm, 
consisting of ninety-six acres, and for three years they carried on extensive- 
farming operations, at the end of which period our subject purchased his 
present home farm, consisting of ninety acres, to which he removed in 1896, 
and here he has since resided. This is one of the highly cultivated and valu- 
able farms of the county, and Mr. Pry has the reputation of being a thorough 
and progressive farmer as well as a useful and most intelligent citizen. 

In his political sympathies Mr. Pry is independent, although he was; 
elected as township trustee on the Populist ticket. His term of service was 
most satisfactory and demonstrated the confidence and esteem in which he is 
held by his fellow citizens. He has long been a leading member and generous 
supporter of the United Brethren church, where he is highly valued for his 
exemplary life and high moral character. 

CALEB PFAHLER. 

As an example of the usefulness and prominence to which men of char- 
acter and determination may attain, it is but necessary to chronicle the life of 
Caleb Pfahler, one of the representative agriculturists of Crawford county. 
45 



8od CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

He has spent his entire life in this locality, his birth having occurred on the 
farm on which he now resides, on the ioth of May, 1835. He is a son of 
Matthias and Barbara (Pfahler) Pfahler, who were the parents of twelve 
children, but our subject is now the only survivor of the family. The father 
was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, about 1792, and was there reared and 
married. In 1832 he came with his wife and four children to the United 
States, but one child died during the voyage and was buried at sea. After 
landing in New York the family made their way to Ohio, and, after leaving 
his wife and children in Canton, this state, the father and his brother George, 
who had accompanied him to the new world, proceeded on foot to' Crawford 
county, where the father purchased eighty acres of land where our subject now 
resides, while the brother secured an eighty-acre - tract one mile south of this 
place, and after completing" their arrangements they returned to Canton, loaded 
their few household effects into wagons which they hired and came with the 
family to their Crawford county home. Their first residence, which was a 
cabin built of round logs, was erected bv tire original owner, and this served 
as their place of abode for many years, after which the father erected a larger 
and more commodious hewed-log house. In this residence he spent his de- 
clining years, passing away in 1855. He cleared his farm from the dense 
forest, experiencing all the hardships and difficulties which fall to the lot of a 
pioneer, and subsequently purchased eighty acres of land in Cranberry town- 
ship, which is now the property of the heirs of our subject's brother, Matthias 
Pfahler. The father was an active and worthy member of the German Lu- 
theran church, and in his political affiliations was a Democrat. The mother 
of our subject survived her husband for fourteen or fifteen years. 

Caleb Pfahler, whose name introduces this review, acquired his early edu- 
cation in the old pioneer log school house, with its puncheon floor and slab 
benches to serve as seats. He supplemented the knowledge there gained with 
three terms in the New Washington schools, where he received superior educa- 
tional advantages. When seventeen years of age he left the parental roof and 
apprenticed himself to the tanner's trade with Matthias Kibler, his brother-in- 
law, in Xew Washington, where he remained for three years, and then, having 
completed his apprenticeship, he spent some time in travel, spending the fol- 
lowing- summer in Illinois and Iowa. In the fall of 1856 he returned to his 
home in Ohio, and, his father having died the year previous, he took charge 
of the home farm, operating the same on shares. However, he purchased 
the interests of the other heirs, and at the time of his mother's death he became 
the sole owner of the old family homestead. In 1875 he purchased an ad- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 801 

joining sixty-eight acres, and his landed possessions now aggregate one hun- 
dred and forty-eight acres. Year by year prosperity has attained his efforts, 
and he is now numbered among the representative agriculturists of Crawford 
count)-, but his success has come to him as the result of unremitting energy, 
good management and close attention to business. 

The marriage of Mr. Pfahler was celebrated in February, 1862, Miss 
Eliza Buck becoming his wife. She is a native of Licking county, Ohio, and 
a daughter of John N. and Anna (Swisher) Buck, natives, respectively, of 
Germany and of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Pfahler have had eight chil- 
dren, namely: John, who resides at Liberty Corners, Crawford county; Silas, 
also of this county; Frank, who still resides with his parents and is engaged 
in threshing ; Samuel and Ira, who manage the home farm for their father ; 
Charlie, deceased; and Anna and William, who are still at home. Mr. Pfahler 
casts his ballot in favor of the men and measures of the Democracy. He is 
now passing his remaining years in his pleasant home in Sandusky township, 
where he enjoys all the comforts of domestic bliss and where he finds rest and 
quiet. 

LEWIS PRY. 

Lewis Pry, of Crawford county, Ohio, is a member of a well-known and 
highly respected family of this county, and is also one of its most highly 
esteemed citizens. The birth of Mr. Pry was in Sandusky township, in Craw- 
ford county, in 1847, an d ne was a son °f Frederick and Rickey (Bowman) 
Pry, the former of whom was long- a resident of Crawford count}' and a worthy 
representative of his German ancestors, a man whose word was ever kqual to 
his bond in any business transaction. Frederick Pry was long - known, as his 
years extended far beyond the three-score and ten of the Psalmist, his death 
occurring on April 1, 1893, m his ninetieth year. 

Lewis Pry, the immediate subject, was reared under a good and pious 
father and mother, and attended the common schools in his youth, beginning 
at the age of twenty-one to make a career for himself. His first attempt was 
on the home farm, which he managed on shares. In 1873 he married Miss 
Catherine Fleer, who was a native of Germany and a daughter of Sebastian 
Heer. She came to America with her parents when she was three years old. 
Mr. and Mrs. Heer spent a short time in Wayne county. Ohio, prior to lo- 
cating in Crawford county, but later purchased the farm upon which our sub- 
ject now resides, and here the last days of Airs. Pry's parents were spent. 



8o2 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

After marriage Mr. Pry settled upon his father-in-law's .farm and con- 
tinued to manage and operate this land until the death of Mr. and Mrs. Heer. 
This property was then sold and a brother-in-law of our subject purchased 
eighty acres of it, and our subject bought twenty-five acres, building upon his 
tract a commodious farm house, and here the family resided until 1896, when 
he purchased the remaining eighty acres, and he then removed his family to 
the old Heer homestead, and there they have since resided. Here Mr. Pry has 
one hundred and five acres. Formerly he owned a one-half interest in the old 
Kinsley homestead, of ninety-six acres, and also twenty acres south of his 
home farm, but this land he has disposed of. 

Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Pry we may name Matilda, the wife 
of Barney Cole, of Vernon township, this county; William, a farmer on his 
father's land; Daniel, Charles and Franklin, at home. Mr. Pry is one of the 
leading Democrats of this section and actively supports his party, men and 
measures. Although he is not connected by membership with any religious 
organization, he is a regular attendant at divine services, and liberally supports 
all church and charitable enterprises. He stands well in the estimation of 
his fellow citizens and is known as a good farmer and a useful and excellent 
citizen. 

ALEXANDER SMITH. 

Many years have passed since Alexander Smith came to Crawford county 
to cast in his lot with its pioneers. People of the present day can scarcely 
realize the struggles and dangers which attended the early settlers, the heroism 
and self-sacrifice of lives passed upon the borders of civilization, the hardships 
endured, the difficulties overcome. To the pioneer of the early days, far re- 
moved from the privileges and conveniences of city or town, the struggle for 
existence was a stern and hard < me, and of these men and women must have 
possessed indomitable energies and sterling worth of character, as well as 
marked physical courage, when they thus voluntarily selected such a life and 
successfully fought its battles under such circumstances as prevailed in this 
then new and undeveloped country. 

Mr. Smith was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, on the 2d of 
June, 1 82 1, a son of Joseph S. and Jane (Hogan) Smith. The father was also 
born in Washington county of the Keystone state, his birth occurring in 1797. 
He was a son of Alexander and Jane (Snodgrass) Smith, both natives of the 
Emerald Isle. After coming to the United States the grandfather became a 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 803 

well-known and prominent farmer of Washington county, Pennsylvania, 
where he spent his remaining clays. He was a veteran of the war of 1812, and 
was a man highly respected and esteemed for his many estimable traits of 
character. His son, Joseph S., was reared and educated in the county of his 
nativity, and was early inured to the work of field and meadow. After his 
marriage he located on a portion of his father's farm, where he remained until 
1825, and in the fall of that year he came with his wife and two children by 
wagon to Crawford county, Ohio. During a portion of the journey it was 
necessary for him to go ahead and clear a road ere the wagon could proceed, 
and on his arrival here he located on the farm on which he still resides, he 
having entered the land from the government in 1821 while on a prospecting 
tour through Ohio. The place consisted of one hundred and sixty acres, and 
was then covered with a dense growth of native timber, and while he erected 
a cabin the family were obliged to live in the wagon. Mr. Smith cleared and 
improved this place, and in later years erected a more modern and commodious 
hewed-log house, in which he spent his remaining days, passing away in 1843, 
in early life. He was an active church worker and a member of the Presby- 
terian denomination, and he aided materially in the erection of the first Pres- 
byterian church in Crawford county. Our subject, who was then a lad of 
thirteen years, drove an ox-team in hauling the timber used in its construc- 
tion. In his political affiliations Mr. Smith was a Democrat. He was also 
active in military affairs, and for a number of years served as captain oi a 
company. The mother of our subject, who was born in Maryland, in 1797, 
was a daughter of William Hogan, who removed to Washington count}', 
Pennsylvania, from Maryland, his native state, and was of Irish extraction. 
Mrs. Smith survived her husband about ten years, dying in 1855, and was ac- 
cidentally killed by being thrown from a buggy. They were the parents of 
seven children, three of whom still survive, — Alexander, the subject of this 
review; William W., a resident of Woodson county, Kansas; and Tabitha«J., 
the widow of James Majors. 

Alexander Smith, whose name introduces this review, was reared to the 
quiet purusits of the farm and received his educational advantages in the old 
pioneer log school house, with its puncheon floor, slab benches and greased 
paper windows. In 1843, after his marriage, he erected a log cabin on a 
portion of his father's farm, which he operated on the shares, thus continuing 
for about five years. In the meantime, however, the farm had been divided, 
and on the expiration of the five years our subject purchased the interests of 
the other heirs and thus became the possessor of the entire homestead. In 



8o 4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

1857 he erected his present substantial frame residence, and his farm, which 
consists of one hundred. and fifty-two acres, is one of the valuable places of 
Crawford county. For the past twenty years, however, he has lived retired, 
in the enjoyment of a well-earned rest, the result of unfaltering energy, wise 
judgment and business ability. The management of the farm is now left to 
his sons. In the days of the horse-power thresher Mr. Smith also devoted 
a part of his time to threshing, but his principal occupation has been farming, 
and in that vocation his efforts were attended with a high and well-merited 
degree of success. 

The year 1843 witnessed the marriage of Mr. Smith and Miss Nancy J. 
Dix, a native of Columbiana county, Ohio, and a daughter of Joseph Dix. 
This union was blessed with seven children, four of whom still survive, 
namely: Joseph M., a resident of Crawford county; Porter W., of Okla- 
homa ; Alexander, who operates the home farm ; and Martha J., the wife of 
Oliver McKeehen, also of Sandusky township, Crawford county. The wife 
and mother passed away in death on the 14th of August, 1887, at the age of 
sixty-five years. For the past fifty-seven years Mr. Smith has been an active 
and zealous member of the Presbyterian church, and during all of that time has 
served as an elder therein, much of the time also acting as a trustee. In politi- 
cal matters he is a stanch supporter of the Democracy. He has been the choice 
of his party for a number of local offices, having served for two terms as town- 
ship trustee, two terms as clerk of his township, two terms as township as- 
sessor, and for more than twenty years has held the office of township treasurer. 
In all of these positions he discharged his duties with the utmost fidelity and 
honesty, and in all relations of life he has ever been true to principle and the 
right. 

JOHN GUISS. 

Research, into the early history of Crawford county indicates the fact that 
the Guiss family was founded here in early pioneer days and that they became 
identified with agricultural interests, thus aiding in the work of reclaiming 
wild land for purposes of civilization. Our subject is numbered among the 
native sons of the county, his birth having occurred in Cranberry township, 
on the farm which Jacob Sheets and wife now own. His father, Abraham 
Guiss, was a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and was a son of 
Jacob Guiss. Both removed from the Keystone state to Columbiana county, 
Ohio, at a very early day, locating near Xew Lisbon, and in 1836 they came 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. S05, 

with their respective families to Crawford county. The journey was made 
with ox-teams and they were twenty-one days upon the way. In addition to 
their household effects and other personal property they brought with them 
three geese, one of which is still living and is now in possession of our sub- 
ject. The grandfather entered nearly one thousand acres of government land 
and took up his abode where Jacob Myres resides. He was the father of 
twelve children, namely: John, George. Abraham, Christian. Henry, Anne, 
Susan, Catherine, Martha and others whose names are not remembered. 
The grandfather, Jacob Guiss, or real name Guissinger, wandered from home 
when quite young, and on going to school the "inger" was omitted by the 
teacher and thus only Guiss remains. 

The Guiss family lived in true pioneer style and endured the usual hard- 
ships and trials which fall to the lot of settlers upon the frontier. Amid such 
surroundings our subject was reared, and upon the old homestead he remained 
until twenty-one years of age. At the age of nineteen he began teaching in 
the district school, having thirty-five scholars, of whom thirty-one were rela- 
tives. He remained in charge of that school for two years, and for a similar 
period had charge of the New Washington school, after which he was engaged 
in photographic work in Plymouth, Ohio, for two years. Subsequently he spent 
one year as a bookkeeper in Cleveland, and then returning to Plymouth, he 
clerked in a general store for two years. The succeeding year was spent as a 
salesman in Shelby, Ohio, after which he bought an interest in a store in West 
Liberty, carrying on business at that place for two years. He was next owner 
of a half interest in a store in Sulphur Springs, where he carried on mercantile 
pursuits for fourteen years, meeting with good success in his undertakings. 
On the expiration of that period he removed to the farm upon which he now 
lives and which has been his home continuously since 1880. He is engaged in 
general farming, having eighty acres of rich land, which he has placed under 
a high state of cultivation. 

On the 19th of November, 1863, Mr. Guiss was united in marriage to 
Miss Susan Fry, and unto them have been born six children : William H., a 
practicing physician residing in Tiro, Ohio; Mellville, who makes his home in 
Cedartown, Georgia, where he is serving as treasurer and secretarv of the 
Alabama & Georgia Iron Company; Ethie, who is engaged in school-teaching 
and makes her home with her parents; Charles A., who was also engaged in 
teaching school, but is now taking a course at the Ohio State University : War- 
ren G., who is the principal of the Chatfield schools; and Maude R., who is 
attending the Heidelburg School of Oratory. The children have been pro- 



8o6 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

vided with good educational privileges, all but one being graduates of the 
Washington high school. 

Mr. Guiss has frequently been called to public office by his fellow towns- 
men, who, recognizing his worth and ability, have chosen him for public hon- 
ors. For nine years he served as justice of the peace and discharged his duties 
with strict fairness and impartiality. He was also township clerk of Liberty 
township, was assessor, notary public for six years, and for ten years was 
assistant postmaster at Sulphur Springs. In politics he is a stalwart Demo- 
crat, and in every position in which he has served he has discharged his duties 
in a most able and energetic manner, winning the commendation of all con- 
•cerned. In religious faith he is a Lutheran. He was a charter member of the 
Knights of Pythias lodge at New Washington, has. filled all the chairs and is 
now a past chancellor. His life exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the fra- 
ternity. He is widely and favorably known and is held in the highest regard 
where he is best known. 

JACOB CRUM. 

One of the old and highly respected farmers of Crawford count)' is Jacob 
Crum, who has established a reputation as a thorough farmer and estimable 
and useful citizen during a residence here which covers more than a half cen- 
tury. Mr. Crum was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, on April 10, 
1825, and he was a son of Moses and Margaret (Rex) Crum, and was one of 
a family of six children which was born U> his parents. Of this family our 
subject and his brother Michael/ who is a resident of Richland county, are the 
only living representatives. 

Moses Crum was a farmer in Pennsylvania, where he was born in 1792, 
and from that state he emigrated to Ohio, about 1838, locating in Sharon 
township, Richland county. Here he lived until 1877, at which time he passed 
away, at the age of eighty-five years and two months. His most worthy 
widow survived him for about ten years, her age reaching* ninety-five years. 
Mr. Crum possessed at the time of his decease about two hundred and forty 
•acres of land, and provided well for his children, ever taking a deep interest 
in their welfare. 

Jacob Crum was reared to farm work and was about thirteen years old 
when his parents removed to Ohio. His educational advantages were limited, 
his only opportunity being during the few winter months when he could be 
spared from the farm, the school house being such as the pioneer locality pro- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 807 

videcl, as at that time the advantages of education were not always appreciated 
by those who were obliged to provide houses and teachers. 

Our subject remained at home until his marriage, in 1855, to Miss Susan 
Naser, who was a native of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and who was 
a daughter of Samuel Naser, who came to Richland county in 1834. Mr. 
Naser located in Sharon township and lived there his remaining years. After 
marriage our subject and his young wife began housekeeping on the farm 
which he now occupies, in Vernon township. This property was a present 
from his honored father and comprised one hundred and sixty-six acres, to 
which our subject has since added other lands. In 1880 he purchased a tract 
of fortv' acres, which is located one- fourth of a mile south of his home place, 
and in 1885 he bought another farm, the location of the latter being in Auburn 
township, across the highway from his residence farm, and consists of one 
hundred and seventy acres. With these additions our subject owns three hun- 
dred and seventy-six acres of land, and carries on extensive farming and stock- 
raising operations. 

Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Crum, as follows : Sam- 
uel, residing on the Auburn township farm ; Elzina, the wife of Warren Turtle, 
of Shelby; Jeremiah, of the state of Washington; Curtis, of Shelby, Ohio; 
John, residing at home; Catherine, the wife of Edward Johnson, of Shelby; 
and Luella, deceased. In politics Mr. Crum has been a life-long Democrat, 
and has been of service to his locality in several offices, notably as school 
director, for several years. He has been long one of the leading members of 
the Reformed church, as was his wife until her death, in 1888. During his 
long life in this locality Mr. Crum has witnessed many changes, and lias done 
his part in (developing the agricultural section in his vicinity, and is held in 
high esteem and is one of the most substantial citizens of the county. 



JOHN BURGBACHER. 

The pioneer history of Crawford county would be incomplete without 
mention of this gentleman, who for more than sixty-five years has made his 
home within her borders, his time and attention being given largely to agri- 
cultural pursuits. He has assisted in reclaiming the wild land for purposes 
of civilization and in many ways has contributed to the substantial develop- 
ment and growth of the county. He has always been an interested witness 
•of its improvement, from the time when the region was dotted here and there 



8o8 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

with rude log cabins, down to the present, when line farms and thriving 
villages indicate the prosperous condition of a contented and happy people. 

Mr. Burgbacher was born in \\ urtemberg, Germany, June 23, 1824, a son 
of Johannes and Rosina (Bypus) Burgbacher. In 1835 the father brought 
his wife and children to America, sailing in June of that vear and reaching 
New York after a voyage of sixty-two days. From the eastern metropolis 
they proceeded by lake and canal to Sandusky and thence by team to Crawford 
county. He was a wagon-maker by trade, but after coming to this country 
he located on the farm where our subject now resides, purchasing- eighty 
acres of land, of which four acres had been cleared, while a log cabin had 
been builded. The land was covered with heavy timber, beech, oak, elm and 
ash, but the father and his sons at once began to clear awav the trees and 
prepare the fields for cultivation. For four years after their arrival the fa- 
ther and his son John tilled what corn they planted with a hoe. The deer 
were so numerous that they would often come to the hay stack and feed with 
the cows. Everything was wild, the land was in its primitive condition and 
the work of progress and improvement seemed scarcelv begun, but in course 
of time all this was changed and the farm is now one of the most valuable 
farming properties in the count}-. The father died in 1842, at the age of 
sixty-seven years, while his wife passed away December 14, 1850. They were 
the parents of five children. 

Air. Burgbacher, of this review, was eighteen years of age at the time 
of his father's death. He then assumed the management of the home farm, 
which he has since operated and which has continuously been his place of resi- 
dence since 1835. He to-day owns one hundred and seventy acres of rich land, 
all under a high state of cultivation, and his farm is one of the best improved in 
this portion of the county. He is energetic and progressive in his methods 
and his earnest labor has brought to him success as the vears have gone by. 

On the 3d of July, 1849, Mr- Burgbacher was united in marriage to Miss 
Susan M. Koenig, a native of Germany and a daughter of William and Marie 
L. (Fay) Koenig, who came to America in 1833 and located in Chatfield town- 
ship, Crawford county. He secured eighty acres of wild land, where Gottlieb 
Knicht is now living, and erected thereon a log cabin of one room. This con- 
tained besides a stove, a table and chairs, three beds, and in that room the fa- 
ther, who was a cooper by trade, also engaged in the manufacture of barrels. 
Both he and his wife spent their last days in the home of our subject and both 
died when eighty-two years of age. Unto Air. and Airs. Burgbacher have 
been born nine children : Otto P., who died in childhood ; Mary, wife of Will- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 809 

iam Hohl, of Lima, Ohio ; John, a resident farmer of Defiance county, Ohio ; 
William, of Chatfield township; Rosa, the wife of Jacob Bringle, of Chatfield 
township; Henry and Jacob, who are deceased; Elizabeth, the wife of F. E. 
Hiser, who is engaged in the operation of a sawmill and tile factory in Car- 
rothers ; and Hannon, a merchant of Seneca, Ohio. 

Mr. Burgbacher has been a prominent factor in public affairs for many 
years and has been called upon to serve in many positions of honor and trust. 
In 1862 he was elected county commissioner and served for two terms of 
three years each, being chosen to the office as the Democratic candidate. In 
1853 he was elected justice of the peace and since that time has continuously 
served in the office, with the exception of nine years. He has also been trustee 
for many years and school director for forty years, and in every office in 
which he has been called to serve he has discharged his duties in a manner 
winning him the highest commendation of all concerned. He and his wife 
hold membership in the Lutheran church and are earnest, consistent Christian 
people, everywhere honored and esteemed for their sterling worth. Mr. Burg- 
bacher aided in laying out some of the roads of the county and has ever 
borne his part in the work of public progress as a citizen who has the general 
good deeply at heart. 

SOLOMON SEERY. 

Solomon Seery has resided upon the farm in Lykens township which 
is now his home for more than two-thirds of a century, taking up his abode 
there when a boy of ten years. He was born in Ross county, Ohio, Septem- 
l:er 22, 1823, a son of Solomon Seery, one of the honored pioneers of Craw- 
ford county, who aided in its substantial development in early days. In the 
fall of 1833 tne father brought his family to Crawford county, where our 
subject has since made his home. He began his education in a log school- 
house, seated with slab benches and supplied with other primitive furniture, 
and the methods of instruction were almost equally crude. Although a youth 
of only ten summers when he came to this county, he aided his father in the 
work of clearing the fields for cultivation and assisted in the plowing, planting 
and harvesting. 

In 1855 occurred the marriage of Solomon Seery and Miss Elizabeth 
Park, and unto them have been born three children, namely: Independence, 
a hoop manufacturer of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin; John W., a resident 
farmer of Lykens township; and Russell O. The wife and mother died April 



810 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

20, 1890, at the age of fifty-four years, respected by all who knew her, so 
that her loss was deeply mourned by her many friends, as well as her imme- 
diate family. 

Throughout his entire life Mr. Seery has carried on general farming, 
and to-day he owns three hundred and twenty-five acres of rich land, all in 
Lykens township. The well tilled fields yield to him golden harvest and every- 
thing about the place is kept in good condition. In the early days he was 
celebrated as a coon hunter. For a half century he has been a member of the 
United Brethren church and throughout the greater part of the time has served 
as trustee, while for a long period he was class-leader and superintendent of 
the Sunday-school. His first presidential vote was cast for Henry Clay, the 
Whig candidate, and at the present time he is a Prohibitionist. He gives his 
support to all movements calculated to promulgate temperance, morality and 
intellectuality and has aided in many interests for the general good. His life 
has ever been honorable and upright and all who know him esteem him for his 
genuine worth. 

HENRY J. OBERLANDER. 

On the farm in Lykens township which is yet his home Henry J. Ober- 
lander first opened his eyes to the light of day on the 31st of May, 1847, an d 
throughout his entire life he has been connected with the agricultural interests 
of Crawford county. He is now numbered among its leading and representa- 
tive farmers, and wherever he is known is held in high regard. 

His father, Jacob Oberlander, was born and reared in York county, 
Pennsylvania, and there he married Elizabeth Allbright. They began their 
•domestic life upon a farm in that county and also lived for a time in Adams 
county, Pennsylvania, but determined to try his fortune farther west. In 
1832 Mr. Oberlander made his way to Richland county, Ohio, hiring a horse 
team with which to accomplish the journey. There he resided until 1835, 
when he came to Crawford county and entered a tract of land of eighty acres 
in Lykens township, from the government. The following year he brought 
his family to the new home and soon they were living in true pioneer style in 
a little log cabin containing but one room. The farm was covered with a 
heavy growth of timber and it required many long years of arduous toil to 
clear and improve the place. Throughout the remainder of his days Jacob 
Oberlander carried on farming here, and at one time was the owner of four 
hundred and twentv acres of valuable land. He made many excellent im- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 8ir 

provements upon his place and his property became one of the most attractive 
and desirable farms of the county. He was a member of the Pietist church 
and an earnest Christian gentleman, who commanded the respect and confi- 
dence of all with whom he was associated in the active affairs of life. He died 
January 21, 1887, at the ripe old age of eighty-three years. 

On the old homestead Henry Oberlander has spent his entire life. The 
common schools afforded him his educational privileges and under his father's 
direction he' early became familiar with all the duties that fall to the lot of 
the agriculturist. Together they carried on their farming operations until the 
father's death, and Mr. Oberlander of this review has since resided on the old 
hi me place, devoting his energies to the cultivation of his farm, comprising 
one hundred acres, of which ninety acres is cleared and the greater part di- 
vided into fields, which are highly improved. He carries on general farming 
and his well directed labors bring to him a good financial return. 

On the 25th of June, 1874, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Oberlander 
and Miss Sarah J. Feltis, of Wyandot county, Ohio, and unto them have been 
born four children : Irvin J., who married Florence Bogart and is living at 
home ; Lawrence E., who married Ida Spade and is a farmer of Lykens town- 
ship; Iona B., the wife of John Wisenhour, of Lykens township; and Cora 
M., the wife of Noah Aleck, by whom she has one child, Lena L. Mr. Ober- 
lander and his family are well known people of the community and enjoy 
the warm regard of a large circle of friends and acquaintances. In politics 
he is a Democrat, but has never sought or desired office, preferring to give his 
time and attention to his business interests, in which he is meeting with credit- 
able success. 

JACOB BROEDE. 

Jacob Broede, who is carrying on general farming and stock-raising in 
Lykens township, where he owns and operates two hundred and forty acres of 
land, is one of the worthy German-American citizens of Crawford county. 
His birth occurred in Bavaria, Germany, August 25, 1832, his parents being 
Adam and Catherine (Blinn) Broede. Upon his father's farm he was reared 
and in the schools of his native land he acquired a good education. At length 
he determined to try his fortune in the new world, believing that better ad- 
vantages were here afforded young men. Accordingly he crossed the At- 
lantic in 1 85 1 and after a voyage of twenty-two days upon a sailing vessel he 
made his way to Utica, New York, where he worked as a farm hand, by the 



8 12 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

month, for two 1 and a half years. On the expiration of that period he returned 
to Germany, on account of his father's death, and assumed the management 
of the home farm, which he operated for six years. He then again came to 
America, spending three months in the Empire state and in the fall of i860 
he arrived in Seneca county, Ohio, where he remained for seven months. 
On the expiration of that period he purchased eighty acres of land in Chat- 
field township and for three years made his home thereon, buying his present 
farm in 1864. He purchased one hundred and twelve acres of Albert Ham- 
mond and a few years later added to this a tract of fifty-six acres. His landed 
possessions now aggregate two hundred and forty-eight acres, and thereon 
he is successfully engaged in general farming and stock-raising, his business 
ability, careful management and enterprise enabling him to overcome all ob- 
stacles and work his way upward to prosperity. 

Mr. Broede has been twice married. He first wedded Jacobina Poth, and 
unto them was born a son, August, who is now overseer of the brewery owned 
by the firm of Poth & Sons, of Philadelphia, the senior partner being his uncle. 
For his second wife Mr. Broede chose Eva Ehresmann, and they have eight 
children: Jacob J., of Seneca county; Adam, who is now living in Iowa; 
Emma, the wife of Albert Angeny ; Albert, a resident farmer of Seneca county ; 
Malinda, the wife of Henry Kurgis; Henry, Lizzie and Charley, all at home. 

Mr. Broede exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and 
measures of the Democracy and, while he keeps well informed on the issues of 
the day, has never sought office. He belongs to the German Reformed church 
and is a man of genuine worth. Pie has never had occasion to regret his 
determination to come to America, for in this land of the free he has found 
the opportunity he sought for advancement in the business world and has not 
only gained a comfortable competence, but has won many friends. 

ABRAHAM HAAS. 

Old and honorable families of Germany have given to America mam- 
citizens of exceptional worth. Crawford county, Ohio, has its share of such 
and Abraham Haas is one of the best known of this class in Lykens town- 
ship. Mr. Haas was born near Columbiana. Columbiana county, Ohio, No- 
vember 3, 1834. a son of Conrad Haas, a native of Germany, who was brought 
to America by his parents when he was ten years old. The family settled in 
Pennsylvania and thence Conrad Haas came to Ohio, locating in Columbiana 
county, where he married Catharine Meyer, who bore him eleven children, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 813 

of whom the subject of this sketch was the second in order of nativity. John, 
their first born child, died at the age of sixteen years. Their daughter Lydia 
is the widow of Solomon Rupert. Their daughter Sarah married Philip 
Hogert and is dead. Their son Benjamin lives at Aurora, Illinois. Their 
daughter Catharine is the wife of D. Y. Ditty, of Lykens township, Craw- 
ford county, Ohio. Their son Henry lives in Holmes township, in the same 
count}'. Their daughter Elizabeth is the wife of David Faileck, of Lykens 
township. Their daughter Susan is the wife of John Meyers, of Lykens town- 
ship. 

In the spring of 1835 Conrad Haas brought his family to Crawford 
county, making the journey from Columbiana county with ox-teams, and 
settled in Lykens township, where he homesteaded one hundred and twenty 
acres of government land, which he developed into the farm on which the 
subject of this sketch now lives. At that time the land was heavily timbered 
and he was obliged to make a small clearing on which to erect a log cabin of 
r< nind logs. He carried the work of improvement forward as rapidly as pos- 
sible and became prominent in his neighborhood. He died in 1848, at the 
age of forty-one years. His death was most untimely, for he was a useful man 
in the township, where he built the first school house, helped to organize sev- 
eral schools and laid out roads. He was a devout member of the Baptist 
church and contributed liberally to all its interests. His wife died at about the 
age of sixty years. 

When the subject of this sketch was brought to Lykens township, he 
was about six months old. He was educated in the common schools and reared 
to farm work and by the death of his father, when he was fourteen years old, 
was thrown upon his own resources at a comparatively early age. For three 
years after his father's death the home farm was leased. Young Haas worked 
in the neighborhood for a year and afterwards worked near Columbiana until 
his mother got her family together and came back to the farm. Then, at 
the age of seventeen years, he took charge of the place which he has man- 
aged successfully since, except during a year and a half when he lived in Wood 
county. He now owns eighty acres of the old homestead, and the good house 
and other improvements on the place were placed there by himself. He has 
done general farming and has dealt extensively in horses, and during the days 
of horse-power threshers, he ran threshing machines in season for many years. 
In politics he is a Democrat and he is not without influence in the councils of 
his party, but he has never sought nor accepted public office. He was married 
in 1857 to Miss Martha Schupp, a woman of many good qualities, who has 



814 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

been to him a most worthy helpmeet. The recollections of his school days in- 
clude vivid memories of crude, old-fashioned schools, taught in log school 
houses with puncheon floors and slab seats and desks, and he has during 
all his active life done everything in his power to advance the cause of public 
education. 

SAMUEL DEW ALT. 

The well-known citizen of Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, 
whose name is mentioned above, is of that sturdy Pennsylvania stock, which, 
transplanted to all parts of the United States, has been fruitful in enterprise, 
progressiveness and enlightenment. 

Samuel Dewalt was born on the farm on which he now lives October 
1 8, 1855, a son of Robert Dewalt, who was born in Lehigh county, Pennsyl- 
vania, in 1818, and was married there to Elizabeth Broder, who bore him six 
children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the fifth in order of birth. 
Their daughter Isabella married Owen Olds, of Texas township, Crawford 
count}-, Ohio. Their daughters Henrietta and Savannah and their son Alex- 
ander are dead. The fifth in order of birth was the subject of this sketch. 
Their youngest son, Richard, is dead. In 1850 Robert Dewalt removed from 
Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, to Crawford county, Ohio, and settled on the 
farm on which his son Samuel now lives. His first purchase of land there 
was two hundred and twenty acres, thirty acres of which were cleared, 
and on which a log cabin had been erected. He died there February 17, 
1894, aged seventy-seven years, and his wife died October 10, 1877. They 
were members of the German Reformed church and Mr. Dewalt took a great 
interest in all its work, serving in the offices of deacon and elder and as a 
member of the building committee which had charge of the erection of its 
house of worship. 

Samuel Dewalt was interested with his father in agricultural enterprises 
until 1876, when he took charge of the farm on which he now lives. He 
owns one hundred acres of the old Dewalt homestead, which, together with 
eighty acres in another tract, makes his real estate holdings aggregate one 
hundred and eighty acres. These two pieces of land adjoin and constitute 
one of the best farms in the vicinity. Mr. Dewalt is a Democrat in politics 
and is a member of the German Reformed church. He was married in 1876 
to Mahala Shawk, of Seneca county, Ohio, and they have four children, Dora ; 
Delora, who is the wife of J. W. Swalley; Alta and Ralph. Mr. Dewalt is a 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 81$ 

man of much recognized public spirit, who remembers with pride the fact that 
he was educated in the public schools of his native township and has always 
taken an interest in their development and improvement. There is no cmes- 
tion affecting the public welfare in which he does not take an intelligent in- 
terest and there is no movement for the general good which he is not ready- 
to assist to the extent of his ability. He naturally takes an interest in the 
church, toward the upbuilding of which his good father labored so zealously, 
and he is liberal in his assistance of all its varied interests. 

ANDREW MOORE. 

Any adequate account of the life of a self-made man is necessarily both 
interesting and instructive. It is always a story of human ambition, struggles 
and triumph and as such must claim the attention of every student of human 
nature and of the progress of the people at large; and as an example of what 
may be done by industry and perseverance by one actuated by worthy motives, 
it is worth}' the emulation of all young men who have their way in the world 
to make. Such a career as is here indicated has been that of Andrew Moore* 
of Benton, Lykens township, Crawford count}', Ohio. 

Andrew Moore was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, Februarv 2, 1847,.. 
and when he was six years old, in 1853, his father died. Not long afterward, 
his mother took her family to Crawford county, Ohio, and settled in Texas 
township, where, at the early age of twelve years, the boy began working on 
farms by the month. This was necessary from the fact that his mother was 
very poor and that as soon as the}' were old enough her four sons were obliged. 
to earn money to lie expended toward her support and the maintenance of, 
their home. The names of these sons were William, Joseph P., Andrew and' 
1 [enry. Soon after the Civil war began Mrs. Moore, who was a devout Chris- 
tian woman of much education and refinement and of great patriotism, made- 
the following declaration, which her son remembers word for word: "I 
know that this is to be a terrible war and we must make sacrifices to save 
the Union and I am willing that my sons should go to the front, and may 
( rod protect them and bring them back to me." The sons whom she thus de- 
voted to the service of her country were her only support. Joseph P., the 
second son. was the first to avail himself of this permission. He enlisted in 
1 8 n as a private in Company H, Forty-ninth Regiment Ohio Volunteer In- 
fantry, and was killed at the battle of Stone River, on New Year's morning, 
1862. William, the eldest son, was the next to enlist and he was color-bearer 

46 



816 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

in the One Hundred and First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was 
killed while carrying the flag in the front line of battle at Chickamauga, in 
August, 1863. At that time Andrew was only little more than sixteen years 
old, but without serious objection on the part of his mother, who believed that 
it was her duty, if necessary, to sacrifice her last son old enough to be of any 
assistance to the cause of freedom, enlisted in the One Hundred and Twenty- 
third Regiment of Infantry at Martinsburg, West Virginia. His first experi- 
ence of battle was at Newmarket, where he was dangerously wounded in the 
left thigh by a minie ball. After lying for two days in a field hospital he 
was taken to Clairsville hospital, in the mountains near Cumberland, Maryland. 
After he had been under treatment there three months he was able to go home 
on a furlough. He rejoined his regiment at Kernstown and after that fought 
at Winchester, Cedar Creek, and in other engagements and participated in 
the righting which resulted in the fall of Petersburg and Richmond. After 
the evacuation of Richmond the One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio and 
the Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania Regiments were detached to burn the bridge 
across the river to keep Lee's army from crossing. When they arrived at the 
bridge Lee's cavalry was on the point of crossing the river, and not only 
succeeded in doing so, but took about five hundred prisoners of war from the 
two federal regiments mentioned, Mr. Moore among them, who were under 
guard with the Confederates when Lee surrendered. 

After the war Mr. Moore returned to Benton, Lykens township, Craw- 
ford county, Ohio, where he remained only a short time, however, before go- 
ing to Oil City, Pennsylvania, where he was employed for three years. Re- 
turning to Texas township, he farmed four years and after that sold agri- 
cultural implements for twelve years. After that he was for five years a 
buyer for Young & Brother, lumber dealers at Canton, Ohio. Since that 
time he has been buying timber on his own account, cutting it up into saw- 
logs and selling it in that form to lumber manufacturers. 

He is a Republican in politics and is a member of Roberts Post, No. 672, 
Grand Army of the Republic, at Benton, Ohio. He has held the office of town- 
ship trustee and has otherwise served his fellow townsmen with ability and 
credit. His mother, of Christian and patriotic memory, who was a lifelong 
member of the United Brethren church, died at Benton at the age of seventy- 
one vears. 

Mr. Moore was married June i, 1868, to Miss Mary J. Haskins, and 
she has borne him three children. Their son Earl was accidentally killed in 
1895, ^"hil e attempting to get on board a moving train of cars. Their daugh- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Si 7 

ter Bertha is now Mrs. Haskins. Their son Clyde, who is a proficient stenog- 
rapher, is a student at the Northern Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso, 
Indiana. 

JAMES BRIXE. 

Men popularly known as Pennsylvania Dutchmen have gone forth from 
the Keystone state to all parts of the west and southwest and wherever they 
have gone they have planted the standard of enterprise, prosperity and pop- 
ular enlightenment and have maintained it wherever they have flung it to the 
breeze. Crawford county, Ohio, was, perhaps, specially favored in receiviiig a 
large number of settlers of German antecedents and of Dutch ancestry from 
her sister state beyond the Alleghenies. A name that has become well known 
in Texas township, Crawford county, Ohio, and the history of which may be 
traced through many generations of such sturdy men and women as have here 
been referred to is that of Brine, which is most worthily represented by James 
Brine, who was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, August 6, 1833. 

James Brine was brought up on his father's farm in Pennsylvania and 
educated in the public schools, and at the age of eighteen entered upon a 
three-years' apprenticeship to the shoemaker's trade. After completing his 
apprenticeship he worked at his trade in Pennsylvania until 1855, when he 
went to Seneca county, Ohio, and worked on a farm by the month at Honey 
Creek for five years. After that he rented a farm nine years and managed it 
with such success that at the expiration of that time he was able to buy the 
farm of sixty acres on which he now lives. He has purchased twenty acres 
elsewhere and now owns eight}' acres, which he devotes to general farming. 

December 27, i860, Mr. Brine was married in Seneca county, Ohio, to 
Amanda Fotelman, a native of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, who had emi- 
grated to Seneca county with her parents two years before. James and 
Amanda (Fotelman) Brine became the parents of six children, the following 
items of information concerning whom will be interesting in this connection. 
James, their first born child, is dead. Their daughter Nora, born next after 
James. is the wife of Warren Johnson, of Lykens township, Crawford county, 
Ohio. Alfred, their third child in order of birth, is dead. Their daughter 
Cora married Benjamin Hushouer, of Texas township, Crawford county, 
Ohio. Their daughters Mattie and Ruth are members of their household. 
It has been one of the ambitions of Mr. Brine's life to bring his daughters up 
to be good women and to educate them in such a manner as to enable them to 



8i8 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

take the station in life to which their mental attainments and personal graces 
entitle them. 

In political affiliations Mr. Brine is a Republican, proud of the history 
of his part}- and ardently devoted to its principles and work. Taking a broad 
and comprehensive view of all public questions and knowing that, like charity, 
national progress begins at home, he has, while not being an office seeker or 
in the ordinary sense of the term a politician, given his aid to the utmost pos- 
sible extent to every movement tending to advance the interests of his township 
and county. 

OWEN OHL. 

The man whose name is above is one of the old and honored citizens of 
Texas township. Crawford county, Ohio, and is a native of the Wyoming Val- 
ley in Pennsylvania, having been born in Luzerne county, February -8, 1833, 
a son of Philip and Mary (Kless) Ohl, who had six children, named as fol- 
lows: Joshua, John, Owen, Abraham, Caroline and Elizabeth, of whom the 
subject of this sketch is the only one now living. Philip Ohl served his coun- 
try as a soldier in the war of 181 2 and became a man of local prominence at 
his old home in Pennsylvania. In 1851 he moved with his family from Penn- 
sylvania to Ohio, and located in Texas township, Crawford county, on the 
farm now owned by his son Owen. He bought eighty acres of land, on 
which was a small clearing and a log house. He made improvements and re- 
mained there continuously until 1876, when he died, at the age of eighty-three 
years. 

Owen Ohl lived on his father's home farm until 1869, when he removed 
to Lykens township, where he bought eighty acres of land, on which he lived 
seven years. After that he lived for four years on a farm owned by his 
father-in-law, Robert Dewalt, and then returned to his father's old homestead. 
He has been successful in a material way and has acquired two hundred acres 
of land, one hundred and twenty acres of which he divided among his chil- 
dren in 1901, retaining only his old homestead. In politics he is a Democrat 
and he and his wife and children are communicants of the German Reformed 
church. 

Mr. Ohl was married May 11. 1861, to Miss Isabelle Dewalt, daughter 
of Robert Dewalt, of Lykens township, and they have had seven children, 
the following data concerning whom will be of interest in this connection. 
Their son Robert lives in Wyandot county, Ohio. Their daughter Marv is 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 819 

the wife of P. A. Frankenfield, of Texas township, Crawford county. Their 
son Richard E. is a farmer in Seneca county, Ohio. Their daughter Laura 
E. is the wife of Albert Braldie, of Seneca county, Ohio. Their son William 
is a well-known citizen of Texas township. Their son Albert is a member of 
their household. Their daughter Ida is the wife of Willard Moore, of Texas 
township. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ohl are passing the declining years of their lives quietly 
and calmly, with few bitter memories and with many pleasant thoughts of 
their past years, for their lives have been blameless and their worldly success 
has been won by most worthy means. Their charity has not been stinted and 
they have many times proven themselves friends to those in need. Their 
example has been a good one to their children and to all who know them and 
-they are justly held in high esteem by a wide circle of acquaintances. 

OBADIAH BANKS. 

The family of Banks, which produced the well-known resident of Texas 
township, Crawford county, Ohio, whose name is the caption of this article, 
is the same old colonial family of which the late General Nathaniel P. Banks, 
warrior and statesman, was a representative. Obadiah Banks comes of a 
good old New York family and was born in Cayuga county, that state, No- 
vember 29, 1834. His father, Rhesa Banks, was born in Connecticut and 
married Lucinda Mead, who bore him seven children, of whom the subject 
of this sketch was the first in order of birth. Ursula and Marion, twins, were 
next in order of birth and they are both dead. The next born was Sybil, who 
has also passed away. Their fifth child, Celestia, married Martin Welsh The 
next in order of nativity was Ellen, who is the wife of C. Jump, of Benton, 
Crawford county, Ohio. Their young'est child, David, lives in Texas town- 
ship, Crawford county. In the course of events Mr. and Mrs. Banks removed 
with their children to Crawford county, Ohio, and settled in Texas township, 
where Mr. Banks bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he de- 
veloped into a good farm and on which he spent the remainder of his life, dy- 
ing in 1885, at the age of seventy-five years. His wife died ten years earlier. 
He was a man of prominence in the township and was influential in public 
affairs and for a time he ably filled the office of township trustee. 

In 1854, when his parents located in Texas township, Obadiah Banks 
was twenty years old. He remained with his father, assisting him in the man- 
agement of his farm until June, 1864, when he married Miss Jane Mulsog, 



820 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

by whom he has two children, Eva, who married C. H. Miller, who is a school 
teacher at Bucyrus, Ohio, and Truman, who is a member of his father's house- 
hold. 

Soon after he was married Mr. Banks located on his present farm, which 
has been his home since that time, except for three years. He owns eighty 
acres of well improved land, which he is cultivating profitably and is regarded 
as ' me of the well-to-do farmers of the township. He has always taken a deep 
interest in the causes of education and temperance and is a member of the 
Prohibition party. That he is not without considerable influence in local 
affairs will lie understood when the fact is considered that he has held the 
office of constable six years and has for four years been township trustee of 
Texas township, He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and has 
always contributed liberally toward the maintenance of Christian worship in 
his neighborhood. All in all he is a man of much public spirit, who is ready 
at all times to assist any measures which he deems likely to further the general 
interests of his fellow citizens. 

ANDREW FRAXKEXFIELD. 

Reference has been frequently made in this work to the good influence of 
Pennsylvania blood upon the settlement and development of the great middle 
west. Of such ancestry is Andrew Frankenfield, of Texas township, Crawford 
county, Ohio, who was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, April 6, 
1820. and was there reared to a practical knowledge of farming and educated 
in the common schools. In due time he married Rebecca Besulma, who bore 
him five sons and five daughters, of whom seven are living. 

In 185 1 Air. Frankenfield removed to Crawford county, Ohio, where he 
bought five acres of land, on which he erected a cabin and a log blacksmith 
shop. Later he bought fifty acres of heavily timbered land, which he grad- 
ually cleared and put under cultivation and on which he lived for twenty-five 
years, farming and doing carpenter work as there was a demand for his serv- 
ices. At the expiration of that time he located on a farm in Seneca county, 
( )hio, where he lived until 1868, when he removed to his present farm of one 
hundred and seventeen acres in Texas township, Crawford county, Ohio, where 
he has given his attention to general farming with much success. 

Politically Mr. Frankenfield affiffiliates with the Democratic party and 
his influence in local public matters is recognized. At the same time he is not 
in the ordinary sense of the term a practical politician and he has never sought 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 821 

nor accepted office. He is a communicant of the Presbyterian church and has 
for many years been a liberal contributor toward the support of its various 
interests. He began life poor and is a self-made man. whose success has been 
won most worthily and who is highly regarded by all who know him. 

E. LAMBERT. 

It is always a pleasure to the writer and it should edify the reader to 
peruse and consider any adequate sketch of the career of a man who has made 
his way to worldly success without the aid of influential friends and in spite 
of many discouragements, a man who. with the single idea of achieving vic- 
tory, pushes obstacles from his path and. making himself superior to circum- 
stances, presses forward to the goal which he seeks. Such a man is the sub- 
ject of this sketch, who, though a farmer in a rural community, more fittingly 
represents the possibilities of legitimate American enterprise than a Gould or 
a Morgan. 

Mr. Lambert comes of that sturdy old Pennsylvania stock which has 
given strength and activity to enterprise and impetus to education and en- 
lightenment in all parts of our great west, and was born in Northampton 
county, in the Keystone state, February 2, 1819. He was reared on a farm and 
became early familiar with hard work and only the most meager educational 
advantages were available to him. At the age of nineteen he began to work 
at the blacksmith's trade. In 1843 he removed from Pennsylvania to Sum- 
merville, Xew Jersey, and worked there as a blacksmith for seven years. 
From Summerville he went to Ohio, and locating in Lykens township. Craw- 
ford county, opened a blacksmith shop there, which he conducted successfully 
for four years, when he traded it for another shop at Benton, in the same 
county, where he carried on blacksmithing until 1864. 

In the year last mentioned Mr. Lambert retired from blacksmithing and 
bought the eighty-acre farm in Todd township, Crawford county. Ohio, on 
which he has since lived and the acreage of which he has since increased 
until it embraces one hundred and seventy-eight acres. The writer wishes to 
impress upon the mind of the reader the fact that Mr. Lambert has acquired 
this fine property by his own unaided efforts, by many years of hard toil, dur- 
ing which he has dealt with all with whom he has come in contact with the 
most scrupulous honesty. These facts are known to all who know Air. Lam- 
bert and they should go far to discourage a belief which has taken root in the 
minds of many voting persons that the easy way and the trickey way is the 



822 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

only sure way to financial success. Such a man exerts upon the community at 
large an influence more potent for good than that of a dozen millionaires, who 
have made their money by grinding the faces of the poor and are flaunting it 
brazenly before an outraged world. 

Mr. Lambert is a Democrat in politics and has held the office of super- 
visor of his township, which he filled most ably and to the entire satisfaction 
of all concerned, but he has been without political aspirations and has believed 
and acted religiously upon the belief that one man who does his duty thor- 
oughly as it comes to his hands from day to day, is more useful than any ten 
men who go about advising others what they should do, especially men who 
are actuated by the professional politician's hope of profiting by the labor of 
others. Mr. Lambert is now eighty-two years old and he attributes his healthy 
longevity to an active and regular life and to the fact that he has never used 
tobacco or liquor in any form. 

Air. Lambert was married in 1845, to Miss Margaret Kunnsman, who 
has borne him six children. Alary. Adam, Samuel, Emma, David and Sarah, 
■of whom all except David and Sarah are living. 

DANIEL BECK. 

The record of a life well spent and useful is always interesting and edify- 
ing and it is to be regretted that the brevity necessary to the plan of this 
work does not admit of the introduction of all details of the life of such men as 
the late Daniel Beck, of Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio. 

Daniel Beck, who is descended from good Pennsylvania ancestry, was 
born in AYestmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 181 8, and lived there until 
1830, attending school and assisting about the home work. In the year last 
mentioned, in company with his father and other members of his family, he 
went to Crawford county. Ohio, where Adam Beck, the father, built a grist- 
mill within the borders of Jefferson township, and took up land and engaged 
in farming. Daniel grew to manhood as his father's assistant in his agricult- 
ural and other enterprises and remained with him until 1845, when, at the 
age of twenty-seven, lie married. Then under an independent arrangement 
he took charge of his father's farm, on which he lived until 1855. In 1857 ne 
located on the farm which became known as his homestead and on which he 
died November 30. 1892. In politics he was a Republican and he exerted a 
recognized influence upon public affairs. 

In 1845 Mr. Beck married Nancy Lareiner, who was born in Perry count}'. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 823 

Ohio, February 5, 1821. Their son Robert W. is dead. Their son Joseph 
lives in Indiana. Their sons William and Shannon and their daughter Louisa 
are dead. Their daughter Margaret is living in Morrow county, Ohio. Mrs. 
Beck, who survives her husband, is the daughter of Robert Lareiner, a na- 
tive of Ireland, who at the age of six years was brought to America by his 
parents, who settled in Pennsylvania. Later Robert and one of his brothers 
went to Fairfield county, Ohio, making the journey out from Pennsylvania 
on foot. Mrs. Beck's first recollections of home are of a floorless log cabin, 
and she states that she never had anything to do with a stove until after her 
marriage. The Beck homestead, now under her control, consists of eighty 
acres of rich and well cultivated land, which is a valuable agricultural prop- 
erty. Mrs. Beck is one of a family of twelve children and the only one now 
living. 

SAMUEL S. FREESE. 

The family of Freese has long been well known in Pennsylvania, where 
the name has become identified with success and agricultural and mechanical 
pursuits, in financial and commercial circles, in the professions and in politics. 
AYherever representatives of the family have gone, following the westward 
course of the empire, they have not only planted well, cultivated thoroughly 
and reaped abundantly, but have been so upright in their dealings with their 
fellow men and so public-spirited in their relations to their fellow citizens that 
every where the name has become a synonym for good citizenship. There may 
have been men named Frees who have fallen short of realizing this description, 
but such have never been known in Crawford county, Ohio, where the family 
has been well represented by Samuel Freese, of Jefferson township, and by 
others. 

Samuel S. Freese was born at Lancaster, Lancaster county, Pennsyl- 
vania, October 8, 1820, one of the five children of John J. and Susan ( Eldis) 
Freese, and he is the only one of them now living. The others were named 
William, Elizabeth, Susan and Adam. In 1823, when the subject of this 
sketch was about three years old, he was taken by his parents to Holmes county, 
Ohio, where the family lived until 1831, when they removed to Crawford 
county. John J. Freese bought eighty acres of land in Jefferson township, on 
which some improvements had been made and a one-room log house had been 
erected. Mr. Freese died at Galion, Ohio. 

Samuel Freese was brought up to farm work and received a meager edu- 



824 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

cation in the subscription school taught in a log school house near his pioneer 
home. He has a vivid recollection of early days in Crawford county and re- 
members the now flourishing city of Galion at a period in its history when it 
consisted of only a few scattered log cabins. He remained on the farm, as- 
sisting his father, until 1848, when, at the age of twenty-eight years, he married 
Lena Eberlv and moved on his present farm, on which there then stood a 
small log house, which has since given place to a substantial modern resi- 
dence. He proved himself to be a man of exceptional business capacity and 
became the owner of more than hve hundred acres of land, three hundred 
acres of which he has divided among his children. His home farm of two 
hundred acres he devotes to general farming" and stock-raising. 

Samuel and Lena (Eberlv) Freese have children named John, Caroline, 
Eliza and "William. 

ADAM ASHCROFT. 

The subject of this sketch is the son of parents who were pioneers in 
what is now Crawford county, Ohio, and was born within the limits of Jeffer- 
son township at so early a date that he might well claim pioneership for him- 
self. He comes of the old Pennsylvania family of Ashcroft and his father was 
Newton Ashcroft, a son of Adam Ashcroft, in honor of whom the present 
Adam Ashcroft was named and who was himself an early settler in Crawford 
county. Adam Ashcroft came out from Pennsylvania in 1828 accompanied 
by his son Newton and other members of his family and settled in Jeffer- 
son township, where he bought the farm which is now the property and home 
of his grandson, the second Adam Ashcroft. It consisted of one hundred 
and sixty acres of land, on which there had been a small clearing, in the midst 
of which stood a lonely little log cabin. Adam Ashcroft, who was a surveyor 
and school teacher, became prominent in the county and being a member of 
the church, with a gift for prayer and speech, he did effective work among the 
early settlers as an exhorter and an evangelist. He was a very industrious 
man and worked on his woodland farm early and late, chopping down trees, 
logging, grubbing and burning out stumps and in all necessary ways preparing 
for cultivation, and when he died at the age of ninety-two years, it was a farm 
of which he had long been proud. 

Adam Ashcroft. grandson of Adam Ashcroft and son of Newton Ash- 
croft, was born in 1834 and passed his youth on the farm and in obtaining a 
practical education in local subscription schools, an ambition in which he was 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 825 

encouraged by his mother, who before her marriage to Newton Ashcroft, 
was Miss Mary Hershener. Of the seven children of Newton and Mary 
(Hershener) Ashcroft, three of whom were sons and four of whom were, 
daughters, the subject of this sketch and his sisters survive. Elizabeth is the 
widow of Samuel Trosh. Mary is the wife of John Creider. Catherine is 
the wife of John Johnson. Lydia is the wife of Johnson Davis. John and 
Henry are dead. Newton Ashcroft, who is a carpenter and stone cutter by 
trade, was a constant resident of Jefferson township, from his advent there in 
1828, until his death in 1892, at the age of nnety-two. His wife died at the 
age of eightv-eight years. Their son Adam, who now owns one hundred and 
eleven acres of his grandfather's original homestead, has lived on the place 
all his life, except during two years and he took charge of the place in 1858. 
He owns two other pieces of land of twenty-five and thirteen acres, respec- 
tivelv. At the age of twenty-one he began working at the carpenter's trade, 
at which he was employed four years. 

In [858 Mr. Ashcroft married Lydia Crieder. who has borne him four 
children, as follows : Homer, who lives in Wells county, Indiana ; Alice, who 
is the wife of Richard Hiltner, of Jefferson township; Edith, who is the wife 
of Harry Smith, of Jefferson township; and Pearl, who is the wife of William 
De Gray, of Jefferson township. Since he married Mr. Ashcroft has given 
his attention entirely to farming, in which he has been very successful. Po- 
liticallv he is a Republican, devoted to the principles and measures of his party 
and, while he is not without influence in local affairs, he is neither a practical 
politician nor an office seeker, but he is a man of recognized public spirit. He 
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is a liberal supporter of 
Christian worship in his township. 



CHARLES M. HILBORN. 

Charles M. Hilborn is one of the successful and progressive farmers of 
Bucvrus township, and is also a well-known and highly respected citizen. Mr. 
Hilborn is a native of Crawford county, having been born in Todd township, 
September 9, 1863, and is a descendant on both paternal and maternal sides 
from pioneer settlers of this county and of Richland count}'. Grandfather Hil- 
born was one of the earliest settlers of Richland county, while Grandfather 
Joseph Reinhart came to Todd township, Crawford county, when it was but 
a wilderness. The father and mother of our subject were Samuel L. and Mary 



$26 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

(Reinhart) Hilborn, the former of whom was born in Richland county and 
the latter in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. 

Charles M. Hilborn, of this biography, is the second child in a family of 
ten children born to his parents, and was reared on his father's farm, where 
he remained until attaining his majority. His education was pursued in 
the common schools, and he grew to manhood a line type of the agricultural 
regions of one of the best counties in the state of Ohio. 

After leaving the parental roof Mr. Hilborn spent the first summer in 
operating a threshing machine, and was so successful in this line that he has 
made that a business for every season since, three years of this time being 
a partner in the threshing business. His occupation has been exclusively that 
of a farmer, and since 1890 he has operated a fine farm in this township, where 
he has become prominent in Democratic politics. During 1896-97 he was 
the efficient assessor of Bucyrus township, and in 1900 he was almost success- 
ful in his candidacy for trustee, having gained the confidence of the public by 
his excellent management of the business connected with his former office. 

Air. Hilborn was married in 1888 to Miss Catherine Hirtz, who was born 
in Holmes township, Crawford county, and he has six children living. Mr. 
Hilborn and family belong to the highly esteemed and respected residents of 
the township. 

BENJAMIN A. SINN. 

The agricultural interests of Crawford count)-, Ohio, are in the hands 
of experienced and capable men, whose fertile fields and attractive surround- 
ings testify to their efficiency in their chosen line of effort. 

Among the thriving agriculturists of Bucyrus township is the leading 
citizen, Benjamin A. Sinn, whose birth took place in a log cabin, on the farm 
now owned by Jonathan Carmean, in this township, on September 23, 1832. 
His parents were George and Sarah (Hawk) Sinn, who reared a family of 
ten children. George Sinn was a native of Pennsylvania and came with his 
wife to Crawford county, Ohio, in 1826, where they were among the pioneers. 
He successfully operated a grist and sawmill in this county, and about 1856 
purchased a farm on section 4 in Bucyrus township, upon which he lived for 
man}- years. His death occurred in 1870, his wife surviving for six years. Mr. 
Sinn was a man of character and prominence, well and favorably known 
throughout the county, and thrice acceptably filled the position of county 
auditor, in addition holding other offices of honor and trust. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 827 

Benjamin Sinn, of this biography, was reared on the farm, but the major 
portion of his time was employed in the mill, where he became thoroughly in- 
structed as a miller, both in grinding and sawing. In 1857 he decided to see 
something of the country, starting westward, and after a period spent in Iowa 
reached Denver, Colorado. At that time the present flourishing and beau- 
tiful city was but a collection of log" cabins, and mining was the principal in- 
dustry, the greater part of the population having been attracted thither for 
that purpose. Mr. Sinn also became interested in mining, but after a year of 
trial, with but indifferent success, he turned his face homeward, passing- 
through the state of Misouri. 

Upon reaching Ohio Mr. Sinn took charge of a gristmill at Sycamore, 
Ohio, where he remained for one year, and then went into the operation of a 
sawmill at Glenville, where he continued for eight years, passing- the succeed- 
ing five years upon a farm. The following ten years were spent by Mr. Sinn 
in the successful operation of a sawmill in Fulton county, Ohio. It was not 
until 1882 that he decided to settle down to an agricultural life on his present 
farm, which he purchased from his father, but since that time he has shown 
such marked ability in his chosen line that his success as a farmer and also as 
a stock-raiser is well known through the locality. Mr. Sinn still continues 
to look after his stock and farming interests, but not so actively as formerly. 
A lifelong Democrat, he has taken a deep interest in township affairs, and was 
an efficient trustee of the same in 1867-8. He enjoys the esteem and respect 
of the community and is considered one of the representative men of Bucyrus 
t< >wnship. 

LEO WHITE. 

Leo White, a young and successful farmer and stock-raiser of Dallas 
township, Crawford count}", is a son of Willard T. White, a retired farmer, 
residing in BUcyrus, Ohio. The White family is numbered among the oldest 
in the county. Going back in the history of the ancestry, it is found to be of 
Virginia stock. Charles White, the paternal great-grandfather of Leo White, 
was born and reared in the Old Dominion and was about sixteen years of /age 
when the Revolutionary war began. His name appears on the muster roll of 
militia. He was in active military service several years during the struggle 
of the colonies for American independence, being for a portion of that period 
under the immediate command of General Washington. He served also as 
one of the "minute 'men." When his father died he inherited as a portion of 



828 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

his estate several slaves, and being reared amid slavery conditions he was not 
at first opposed to the system. Through inheritance and purchase he became 
in time the owner of a large number of slaves. He removed to Fayette count) - , 
Kentucky, and while there he liberated his bondsmen. He had fought for lib- 
erty in the war of the Revolution and could not believe it right to hold his 
fellow men in bondage or reconcile it with the principles of eternal justice. 
Becoming disgusted with the iniquitous system, he liberated his negroes, thir- 
teen in number, and soon afterward removed to Ross county , Ohio, taking up 
his abode there about 1812. He followed farming with fair success in that 
county, where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 1856, 
when he had attained the advanced age of ninety-six years. He had three 
sons, namely: Samuel, George and Charles W., and the first two served in 
the American army during the war of 1812. 

The youngest son, Charles W. White, was the grandfather of our sub- 
ject. He was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, Jul)" 18. 1802, and when 
about eight years of age accompanied his father on his removal to Ross 
county, Ohio. At the age of eighteen he left the parental home and visited 
the ''New Purchase" in northern Ohio. He secured work on the Indian mill, 
located on the Sandusky river, being employed by the government Indian 
agent at fifteen dollars per month. There he worked for three years and 
saved his money, with which he purchased two hundred and seven acres of 
land in what is now Dallas township, Crawford count)'. After working for 
the succeeding nine years for different people, he removed to his land, and by 
industry, economy and good business management became one of the largest 
land-owners and most successful farmers and stock-raisers of the county. In 
1830 he married Hannah Simmons Hoover, and unto them were born the fol- 
lowing named children: Lorena, W'illard T. and Charles. W'illard T. White, 
the father of Leo White, was born in Dallas township, August 8, 1845. After 
engaged in farming and stock-dealing on an extensive scale for many years 
and meeting with prosperity in his undertakings, Mr. White, the father, re- 
moved to Bucyrus, where he is now living in retirement from business cares. 
Leo White resides upon the old homestead in Dallas township, where his 
birth occurred July 17, 1870. He was educated in the district schools and has 
always been connected with the cultivation of the fields and the raising and 
sale of stock. He has dealt quite largely in cattle and is a very energetic, 
wide-awake young business man, carefully conducting his interests, yet his 
methods are progressive and his enterprise and straightforward dealings have 
gained him prominence as one of the leading agriculturists of his community. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 829 

In 1899 Air. White was united in marriage to Miss Velma Maud Skemer, 
a daughter of Levi Shemer, of Dallas township, and they have one child, Helen 
Lorena. Mr. White is now serving as township treasurer, an office to which 
he has been twice elected. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective 
( >rder of Elks, and is one of the leading and influential citizens of the com- 
munity in which, his entire life has been passed. 

ELIAS CRISSINGER. 

Elias Crissinger, a trustee of Dallas township and a prominent farmer 
and successful stock-raiser, was born near Peru, Illinois, August 11, 1853. Pie 
was a son of William and Mary (Baker) Crissinger, both natives of Ohio, 
the former of Marion county and the latter of Crawford county. The paternal 
grandparents were of Dutch ancestry and removed from Pennsylvania to 
Crawford county, Ohio, early in its settlement, later going to Marion county 
where they spent their last days. 

William Crissinger was reared in Marion county, but his wife grew up in 
Crawford county, where her father, Benajah Baker, was a pioneer settler of 
Whetstone township. Later in life he removed to Indiana and died in Jasper 
county. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Crissinger, one o>f whom 
has passed away. After the death of our subject's mother in Illinois, when he 
was but two years old, the father placed the children in the care of their 
paternal grandparents. Later he married a second time and lived in Marion 
count)-, and from there, in 1861, he entered the United States army, and upon 
the expiration of his term of enlistment re-enlisted, and died at Murfreesboro 
while serving in the cause of his country. 

Our subject did not live with his grandparents very long, as after his 
second marriage the father claimed his children. After his death they were 
directed by a guardian and thus Elias had several early homes, but was given 
a common-school education and was taught how to work on a farm. From 
early life, however, he was obliged to earn all he received and perhaps the 
stern discipline of neseccity helped to make him the reliable and excellent man 
he now is. 

In 1874 Mr. Crissinger was married to Harriet L. Houser, a daughter of 
Anthony Houser, of Marion county, Ohio, and then settled in Dallas county, 
where he began farming, first as a renter. An accidental discharge of a sh< it- 
gun so injured his hand that the amputation of his arm below the elbow be- 
came nescessarv, and affliction which was borne with most woderful courage. 



830 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

For the following seventeen years the family resided in Marion county upon 
a forty-acre farm given to Mrs. Crissinger by her father, but in 1896 he 
bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, in Dallas township, Crawford 
county, where he has since lived and followed farming. 

In 1897 Mr. Crissinger was elected trustee, and in 1900 was re-elected 
for a second term and in the spring of 1901 he was made assessor also and is 
now serving in both positions, to the entire satisfaction of the community- 
In politics he is a member of the Democratic party and is one of the representa- 
tive men of his community. With his wife and family of eight children he 
belongs to the Methodist church, where he is most highly esteemed for his 
many traits of Christian character. His business relations have brought him 
into contact with almost all the residents of the township and there is no one 
who nas more friends than Elias Crissinger. 

JESSE HOLLINSHEAD. 

The family of Hollinshead are representatives of those who have been 
leaders in thought and in action wherever their lots have been cast. The fam- 
ily has been ably represented in Ohio, by Richard Hollinshead and his sons, one 
of whom, Jesse Hollinshead, is a prominent citizen of Texas township, Craw- 
ford county. 

Jesse Hollinshead was born near McConnellsville, Morgan county, Ohio, 
August 2^,, 1823, a son of Richard and Catharine (George) Hollinshead, who 
had five sons and three daughters and two of whose sons, Jesse and Philip, 
fought gallantly for the Union cause in the Civil war, the former in Company 
H, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the 
latter in the Fourteenth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. 

In 1829 Richard Hollinshead moved with his family from Morgan coun- 
tv, Ohio, to Seneca county, and in 1838 to Crawford county where he bought 
one hundred and sixty acres of land in Lykens township, of the United States 
government, his purchase being comprised in what was known as the Indian 
reserve. The land was heavily timbered and he cleared a small space in which 
he erected a log cabin and addressed himself bravely to the work of improving 
his property ; but he died at the age of fifty-two years, in 1842, only four years 
after his arrival there, and his wife died in 1853. When his parents located 
in Lykens township, the subject of this sketch was fifteen years old, and he 
received a scanty education in the common schools and was brought up to the 
hard life of a poor boy on the frontier. He began an independent career at 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 831 

the age of twenty years, when he married Christina Feasel, who bore him five 
children. She died on the 29th of September, 1893. 

Amanda, eldest daughter of Jesse and Christina (Feasel) Hollinshead, 
married J. G. Snyder, a wagon-maker and sawmill proprietor of Benton, 
Ohio. Their daughters, Sarah and Catharine, and their sons, Lawson and 
Herman, are dead. They have only one grandchild, Jesse H. Hollinshead, son 
of their son Lawson. 

August 19, 1862. Mr. Hollinshead enlisted in Company H, One Hundred 
and Twenty-third Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. At Winchester, where 
he saw his first experience of battle, he was made a prisoner of war. After 
being confined two days in Libby prison he was transferred to Belle Isle 
prison, from which he was liberated after about thirty days on parole and 
went to a camp at Martinsburg, Virginia, and participated in the engagements 
at New Market and Snickers G ap. He fought under General Hunter at Kerns- 
town and later under General Sheridan at the battle of Opecken. Still later he 
participated in the fighting at Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, and after that his 
regiment was transferred to the Army of the James, under command of Gen- 
eral Grant, and for a time was stationed at Camp Holley at Deep Bottom. Mr. 
Hollinshead fought at Hatchers Run and participated in the movements against 
Petersburg and Richmond. After the fall of Richmond, as a means of pre- 
venting Lee from crossing the river the One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio 
and the Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania Regiments were detailed to destroy a 
bridge, and in an attempt to carry out that purpose were captured by the enemv 
and were prisoners with Lee at the time of the latter's surrender. 

After the war Mr. Hollinshead returned to Ohio and took up carpenter 
work and for nearly forty years was successfully engaged in contracting and 
building. He is a Republican in politics, has been township trustee three years 
and is a member of Roberts Post, No. 672, Grand Army of the Republic. 

TFIE MONNETT FAMILY. < 

The Monnett family is one of the oldest of the pioneer families of Craw- 
ford county. Its origin is traced to the French Huguenot refugees. One 
branch came from near Lyons, France, having been driven from their native 
country after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, A. D. 1685. Many tied 
to England, some to Holland, and afterward three brothers emigrated from 
England to America and settled in Maryland and Virginia. A large number 

of the French families by the same name are now living in Montreal, main- < if 
47 



■832 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

them keeping' up their native tongue, and others are found in the French set- 
tlements of New Orleans. Different branches of the same family vary the 
orthography somewhat, some attaching the final "e," others omitting- one of 
the "n's," and some of the old families even spelling it with one "n" and one 
"t." The Anglicized or American spelling is with the two "n's" and two 
"t's," and usually accented on the last syllable, but perhaps more properly with 
an equal emphasis on the first and last syllables. 

The earliest record of accurate data of the Crawford and Marion counties 
branch of the family is of Isaac Monnett, born about 1726, in Westmoreland 
count}-. Maryland, where there is still an old homestead by that name. Isaac 
and his wife Elizabeth had children at this place, and among their immediate 
descendants was Abraham Monnett, born March 16, 1748. The latter mar- 
ried Ann Hillary, daughter of William Hillary; branches of this family are 
still found in Virginia, also in Ross and Pickaway counties, Ohio. Of this 
Abraham Monnett and Ann were born the following children, namely : Isaac, 
Osborn, William, Thomas, Elizabeth, Margaret, Ann and Jeremiah. Isaac, 
Osborn, Thomas and Jeremiah settled in Crawford and Marion counties. 
This elder generation all seemed to have lived to an advanced age and some 
to extreme old age, and have everywhere left a highly honorable record. 
Abraham Monnett, the father of Jeremiah, moved into Ohio in 1803, and en- 
tered a section of land in Pickaway county, and also' land in Ross count;,-, 
which sections are in the neighborhood of Kingston on the border line between 
Ross and Pickaway counties, and still bear the name of Monnett sections. 
Part of the real estate is now in the possession of- the Downs family. 

The Monnett family in religion became Virginian Episcopalians, but in 
the pioneer life of Ohio became Methodists. 

The wife of Jeremiah, hereinafter referred to, and her ancestors were 
Roman Catholics, — a strange meeting of the Jesuits and the Huguenots after 
generations of religious persecution! It could be truthfully said of the elder 
pioneer Monnett family that they were "diligent in business, fervent in spirit, 
serving the Lord.'' The above named Jeremiah was an enthusiastic, old-time 
and old-style Methodist, and opened his home at all times generously to the 
circuit-rider, presiding elders and the bishops. Before the days of churches 
his home was the "meeting-house." His daily family prayer, his exemplary 
life and his exhortations, precept and example, have left their impress upon 
all who came in contact with him, even descending- to the third and fourth 
generations. The good deeds done by Jeremiah Monnett have been to his 
descendants an inspiration, and he has, truly, by them been "sainted." 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 833 

Jeremiah Monnett was born September 12, 1784, and his wife Aley 
(daughter of Jacob and Hannah Slag-el) was born March 1, 1788. They 
were the parents of seven sons and seven daughters, two of whom died in 
infancy. Twelve lived to mature manhood and womanhood : Jacob, born 
March 18, 1806; Isaac, November 16, 1807; Abraham, October 12, 181 1; 
Elsie, October 13, 1813; Margaret, July n, 1816; Hannah, December 13, 
1817; Ann, August 25, 1819; John, January 11, 1820; Jeremiah, January 2, 
1823; Mary, April 2, 1824; Thomas J., January 16, 1826; and Martha, Janu- 
ary 21, 1828. 

At the marriage of Jeremiah Monnett with Aley Slagel, at Cumberland, 
Maryland, a part of the bride's dower included a number of slaves. All of 
these so delivered to him in bondage, he freed, and he early became an abo- 
litionist. 

In 1814, accompanied by his wife and young family, he removed to Pick- 
away county, Ohio, and located near Kingston, and thence he moved directly 
north, in the year 1835, to a point five miles south of Bucyrus, Crawford 
county, being half way between Sandusky City and Columbus. He was a 
man of great physical strength, filled with energy and possessed of great 
endurance. He not only managed his large landed estate wisely but also 
reared his family of twelve children to be honored citizens wherever they took 
up their abode for life. His interest in church buildings and church founding 
and education never ceased, and he filled his posterity with high ambitions 
along these nobler lines. Hardly a Methodist church, in fact church building 
of any denomination, in that part of the county, but that he assisted finan- 
cially, as well as personally, attending their services and admonishing and ex- 
horting more earnest work for the Master whom he lived to honor. About 
the year 1844 he- founded and established Monnett chapel and donated the 
premises whereon to build the same. This little spot has been famous in that 
community for the number of noble youth, also men and women of more 
mature years, who have received their inspiration for a religious life and their 
aspirations for a higher social development. In this year, 1901, as a fulfill- 
ment to his request of forty years ago, we might say, as a fulfillment of his 
prophecy, a memorial stone chapel has been contracted for, to supplant the 
present church edifice that has. occupied the site so dedicated by him about 
sixty years ago. He requested, and frequently repeated in his last prayers, 
"that a church would be continued there to the last generation." This ex- 
emplary citizen and his noble wife each lived to within a few weeks of four- 
score years, and are both buried in the cemetery adjoining Monnett chapel. 



834 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Many of his children and part of their families have chosen this for their last 
resting place. 

Abraham Monnett, his son, referred to in another part of this work, car- 
ried on as his life work stock-raising, farming and banking in Marion county, 
and amassed an unusually large estate, leaving at his death property to about 
the amount of six hundred thousand dollars. Mrs. Martha Warner, widow 
of the late R. K. Warner, is the only survivor of the large family and occupies 
a large landed estate adjoining the old homestead. 

The descendants of Jeremiah Monnett have made enviable records also 
in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and in almost all the 
western states. Colleges have been endowed, seminaries named for their 
beneficences, and public charities and churches have ever been remembered 
by many of these noble sons of a noble sire. From his family altar and from 
the hearthstone of this devout pioneer have gone forth influences that have 
reproduced ministers, lawyers, professors, teachers, physicians, railroad men, 
bankers, ranchmen, land-owners, — in fact, almost all the honorable professions 
and vocations have been honored by the descendants. 

Thomas Jefferson Monnett; the seventh and youngest son of Jeremiah 
and Aley Monnett, came with his parents to Crawford county in 1835, at the 
age of nine years. Being the youngest in the family, he had better oppor- 
tunities than some of the elder ones for cultivating his natural instinct and 
taste for scholarship and literary life; and in addition to attending the district 
schools he prepared for college in a select school held in the neighborhood, and 
afterward attended the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, to fit himself 
for the ministry. He was licensed to exhort as early as 1845. He prepared 
for his life-work by teaching school in the winters and working on the farm in 
summer, and all the time taking an active part in church work. After com- 
pleting his education he became a member of the North Ohio Conference of 
the Methodist Episcopal church, and was stationed at Melmore, Fostoria, 
Kenton, Upper Sandusky and other points. He was an extremely hard 
worker in his pastorates, finally breaking his health down in the work of 
i860 and 1861, and so severely injuring his throat that for years he was 
obliged to retire from the regular work. In taking up his secular work from 
1864 until he retired from active work in 1899, he never failed to give much 
time to church and Sunday-school work and educational enterprises. For 
twenty years he was at the head of the Woolen Mills at Bucyrus ; for eighteen 
years he was president of the Bucyrus Gas Company and owner of the plant, 
and at the same time was interested in banking and stock-raising and engaged. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 835 

In looking after his landed estates. He spurned all sham methods of accumu- 
lating- wealth, and his word was considered in commercial and business circles 
as good as his bond; and, notwithstanding his attention given to church and 
educational work, he amassed a comfortable fortune, as well as endowing his 
children with a liberal education and financial opportunities. 

Thomas J. Monnett died of bronchitis May 10, 1901, at his beautiful 
home in Bucyrus, in the seventy-sixth year of his age, and was buried at 
Monnett Chapel near his parents, brothers and sisters, the spot so dear to 
him. He was married October 19, 1847, to Miss Henrietta Johnston, daugh- 
ter of Hon. Thomas F. Johnston and Martha (Walton) Johnston, honored 
pioneers and leaders in their community and for many years residents of 
Marion county. Of this marriage were born seven children, hereinafter re- 
ferred to. Mrs. Henrietta Monnett died November 20, 1871, at the early age 
of forty-one, leaving five children surviving her. Mr. Monnett was mar- 
ried the second time, to Miss Sarah Rexroth, who was at the time prin- 
cipal of the Bucyrus high school. She was an alumna of Mount Union Col- 
lege and brought with her a rich Christian experience, a well-trained intellect 
and a mind and heart full of noble inspirations. She gave the best years of 
her life to the rearing of the family and fitting them for the more serious 
duties of life and training- them for high-school and college education, along 
with her other arduous family duties. She was a devoted companion and a 
ministering angel to Mr. Monnett in his declining- years. 

The children of Thomas J. and Henrietta Johnston Monnett were Web- 
ster and Agnes, who died in childhood ; John Gilbert, known among his com- 
panions as "Bert," who died at the age of eighteen years, March 26, 1879. 
Orin Bruce, the oldest of the surviving children was born September 
29, 1850, at the farm near Monnett chapel. He attended school at 
Kenton and Upper Sandusky, and afterward the district school, complet- 
ing his education in the Ohio Wesleyan University. Bruce spent sev- 
eral years in the Bucyrus Woolen Mills, was superintendent of the gas works 
and was interested in the grocery business for many years. He retired to one 
of his farms in Bucyrus township, where he resides in luxury and ease, sur- 
rounded by his happy family. He was married November 24, 1877, to Miss 
Anna, daughter of Charles and Katherine Hoffman. The}/ have two chil- 
dren, — Ethel Mae and Bessie Monnett. 

William Arthur Monnett, the second son, was born at Fostoria, January 
4, 1854, attended the union schools at Upper Sandusky and the district 
schools in Crawford countv, and graduated at a commercial college at Pitts- 



$36 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

burg, Pennsylvania, in 1873. He spent ten years as one of the foremen of 
Wood Brothers in the Union Stock Yards, Chicago. He has always been a 
stockman, and for years has occupied the old family homestead where he still 
resides. He was married, February 25, 1875, to Miss Annetta Boyer, daugh- 
ter of J. P. and Charlotta (Stough) Boyer. They have three children, — Kay, 
Grace and Charlotta. 

The third son was Francis Sylvester Monnett, burn in Kenton, Hardin 
county, Ohio, March 19, 1857. He was educated in the district and select 
schools and took a preliminary training under Mrs. Sarah Rexroth Monnett, 
his stepmother, who assisted in training him for the high school and the 
university. He graduated at the Bucyrus high school in 1875; took the full 
Greek classical course at the Ohio Wesleyan University, graduating in 1880, 
and received numerous honors at college in his class, literary societies and in 
his fraternity. In childhood he mapped out his career and stated before he 
entered the high school at Bucyrus that he expected to graduate at the high 
school and at Delaware and take a course in law at Harvard University. He 
did not vary from his self-arranged program, except to substitute the National 
Law School of Washington, D. C, for the Harvard Law School, either one of 
which he had his choice of entering. Having several warm friends at the 
National Law School, and, preferring the opportunities afforded at the capital 
city, he chose the latter and graduated at that institution on June 15, 1882. 

Pie was admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia in June of 
that year, under the common-law practice, and was admitted by the supreme 
court, in 1882, to practice law in Ohio. He opened up an office January 1, 
1883, at Bucyrus, thoroughly in love with his profession, and always adopted 
the maxim, "Keep thy shop and thy shop will keep thee." He was never 
without a substantial clientage, and entered actively into the social, political 
and professional life of Bucyrus and its environments. He was twice elected 
city solicitor by the Republican party, a party greatly in the minority in this 
Democratic Gibraltar. He was a frequent delegate to the county, district and 
state Republican conventions. H'is young friends in power in the district 
urged him to accept the nomination for congress, but as he had pledged him- 
self to place in nomination and support "Uncle" Stephen R. Harris, he de- 
clined to betray his friend Harris, placed him in nomination and assisted in 
electing the first Republican congressman ever sent from the district ; and 
in turn Harris's friends urged his nomination for attorney general of the 
state of Ohio, for which place he was nominated at Zanesville, this state,. 
May 30, 1895, and, being elected, served in that office from 1896 to 1900. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. S37 

In this position he carried through to the United States supreme court the 
taxation cases against the Western Union Telegraph Company, the rive ex- 
press companies and the thirteen national bank cases, winning each and every 
contest, and in his second term took up the fight on behalf of the state of 
Ohio against the Standard Oil trust, the Tobacco trust, the Cracker trust, 
the Beer trust, and was the author of the anti-trust act passed by the Ohio leg- 
islature in 1898. When he retired from office there were pending upward of 
twenty-five cases of ouster against these law violators. His vigorous cam- 
paign against monopoly brought a cyclone of corporate wrath that hurled him 
from his office. He resumed general practice the day following his termina- 
tion of office as attorney general, and has a large and remunerative clientage 
in the state and federal courts at Columbus and throughout the state. 

Mr. Monnett has campaigned in almost every county in the state many 
times, and spoken before the leading literary clubs of Boston, Philadelphia 
and several times at Xew York City, Chicago and Detroit, and campaigned 
for the national committees through the northwest. He is a constant con- 
tributor, on economic questions, to the leading magazines and newspapers of 
the country. 

He took a trip abroad for pleasure and study in the summer of 1899, 
under contract with a newspaper syndicate to write up municipal ownership of 
four of the leading cities of England, which articles were broadly published 
throughout the United States in the leading newspapers. 

Mr. Monnett was married to Miss Ella K. Gormly, daughter of James 
B. and Virginia (Swingly) Gormly, of Bucyrus, February 16, iSSS. Mrs. 
Monnett was a pupil of the Cincinnati Musical College after graduating at a 
private school at Newburgh, New York, and also took a short course at the 
Ohio Wesleyan at Delaware. She took a prominent position among the club 
women of the capital city, and takes a keen delight in public and social affairs. 
She has always been a church worker, both at Bucyrus and at Columbus. 

The fourth child was Miss Effie Monnett, an only daughter, who was 
born December 25, 1865. She attended private school and was fitted for the 
high school by her stepmother, graduating at the high school in 1884 and at 
the Ohio Wesleyan University in 1888. She was fond of her classical studies 
but excelled in her mathematical grades in all her classes. On February 12, 
1891, she was united in marriage to Smith W. Bennett, an active young at- 
torney of Bucyrus, who was afterward' selected as special counsel in the office 
of attorney general at Columbus, Ohio, under F. S. Monnett, and still retains 
the same position under Attorney General Sheets. Two children were born 



838 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

of this marriage: Hugh Monnett and Grace Lizetta. Mrs. Effie Bennett 
failed in health late in the year 1896, and spent the fall and winter and the 
following summer in Alabama, Texas and New Mexico, and finally suc- 
cumbed to the dread malady, consumption, on the 27th of October, 1898, and 
was buried in Oakwood cemetery, Bucyrus, Ohio. 

JOHN C. CAHILL. 

Prominent among- the eminently successful farmers of Crawford county, 
Ohio, is John C. Cahill, who is one of the most progressive and intelligent 
agriculturists of his locality and one who has raised his farming operations into 
a science. The birth of Mr. Cahill was on the farm which he now occupies, 
in Vernon township, on April 14, 1862, and he is a son of Richard Wallace 
and Catherine (Richards) Cahill. and was a member of a family of thirteen 
children born to his parents. The seven survivors of this once large family 
are: Eliza, who is the wife of Washington Cummins; James, who resides in 
Tiro; Isaac, who is an attorney in Bucyrus; Richard, an attorney who resides 
in Napoleon, Henry county, Ohio; Warren, who lives in this township; John 
C, the subject of this sketch ; Jennette Gundrum, of Toledo, Ohio. 

Richard W. Cahill, the father of our subject, was a distinguished citizen 
of Crawford count}-. He was born in Derby township, Westmoreland county, 
Pennsylvania, on March 0, 1801, and was of Scotch-Irish descent. He was a 
son of Abram and Nancy ( Wallace) Cahill. His father was an officer in the 
state militia, and at one time had charge of all of the forces in western Penn- 
sylvania. In 1818 Richard W. Cahill removed with his parents to Wayne 
county, Ohio, in 1827 removed to Crawford county and later purchased the 
farm which our subject now occupies. In 1829 he married Miss Eliza Cum- 
mins, who died in 1843. To this union were born two children: Abraham, 
who became a distinguished lawyer of the Dayton, Ohio, bar ; and David C, 
now a practicing attorney of Bucyrus, Ohio. In 1844 he was married to Miss 
Catherine Richards. In 1841 Mr. Cahill was elected to the state legislature 
and was re-elected in 1842 and in 1843, serving" his constitutency in an ad- 
mirable, non-partisan mannar. In 1850 he was elected a member of the Ohio 
constitutional convention, serving with distinction as a member of that body, 
In all his career, both public and private, the sympathies of Richard W. 
Car ill were always with the great masses of the common people, and he was 
at ail times an uncompromising foe of corporations. Mr. Cahill became a 
large land owner before his death, which took place on October 2, 1886. His 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY: 839 

home farm consisted of one hundred and sixty acres, while he also owned 
two hundred acres east of the town of DeKalb, one hundred and twenty acres 
in Auburn township, which is now the property of B. F. Lash, and other 
holdings. He was a power in the Democratic party and held many of the 
township offices besides his public service in the legislature and constitutional 
convention. He was known as a consistent Christian gentleman, and his de- 
clining years were comforted by the affection of all who knew him. 

The mother of our subject was born in 1822, in Vernon township, which 
is now Jefferson township, a daughter of James Richards, who was the second 
settler in the township, appearing here in 1821. He was the first blacksmith 
in the locality, and shortly after the erection of his cabin built a small round- 
log shop. He made cow bells, prepared iron points for plows, hammered 
out and tempered axes, obtaining his supplies of iron from Sandusky City. 
Mr. Richards found much to do in repairing settlers' wagons that had become 
disordered in the long journey from the east. At this date there were but 
two roads in the township. The Columbus and Sandusky road, running north 
and south through the township, had been first cut out about the year 1818, 
and was simply a blazed path through the forest, from which undergrowth 
and fallen trees had been removed. The death of the mother of our subject 
was on February 28, 1898. 

John C. Cahill, whose successful farming operations, in connection with 
his prominent identification with all progressive movements in the township, 
has became an important factor in this part of Craword county, was reared 
on his father's farm. His primary education w T as completed in the public 
schools, from which he graduated into the normal college, at Ada, with a view 
of still pursuing higher branches in a university. However, his father was 
alone on the farm and needed his assistance, and in 1880 our subject returned 
to the old home and took charge of the operations there. His parents ex- 
perienced tender care as long as they lived, and after the death of his father 
he purchased the interest of the other heirs and now owns the old Cahill farm, 
with the exception of two small portions. Mr. Cahill is a thoroughly hon- 
orable man, liberal with his employes and generous of heart — destitution and 
poverty never appealing to him in vain. Modest and unassuming in manner, 
yet when drawn out in conversation his opinions are sound and valuable upon 
all -questions which come under his observation. He is a scientific farmer, 
thoroughly up-to-date and manages his agricultural operations on the same 
basis that he would conduct any other business. Hence he has been unusually 
•successful and many of his neighbors are inclined to follow his methods. 



840 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mr. Cahill was married in 1887, to Miss Mary Weirich, who was a native 
of Wayne county, Ohio, a daughter of Christian and Addie (Miller) Weirich, 
both of whom are now deceased. To our subject and wife have been born 
three children, as follows: Allen W. 3 John R. and Edith, deceased. In 
politics he has been a life-long- Democrat, and has been honored by his fellow 
citizens by election to many of the responsible offices of the township. For a 
considerable period he served as township trustee. At the present time he is 
serving- his second term as clerk of the township, his efficiency and honesty 
making him one of the most highly esteemed officials in the count}'. Airs. 
Cahill is a consistent member of the United Presbyterian church, and our sub- 
ject is usually an attendant upon the services there with Airs. Cahill. For 
very many years the family name has been one which has commanded respect 
in Crawford county, and our subject is a worthy representative of it. 

SILAS GUNDRUM. 

Silas Gundrum, a representative citizen and leading farmer of Crawford 
county, was born in Berks count}-, Pennsylvania, on the 14th of January, 
1830, a son of John and Charlotte ( Fogle) Gundrum. The father was also 
a native of the Keystone state, his birth occurring about 1797, and his father 
came from the fatherland to the United States. John Gundrum learned the 
blacksmith's trade early in life, but later devoted his time and attention to agri- 
cultural pursuits. About 1834 he came to Crawford county, Ohio, and about 
six months later located in Bucyrus township, where he purchased the farm 
of eighty acres on which our subject now resides. This place was then cov- 
ered with native timber with the exception of about three acres, which had 
been cleared by a Mr. Cox, the former owner, and to this tract the father after- 
ward added another eighty acres adjoining- the place on the south and which 
is now owned by Lewis Heller. Thus he became the owner of one hundred 
and sixty acres of land, which he improved and placed under a fine state of 
cultivation, and he became known as one of the substantial and reliable citizens 
O'f the township. He passed to his final reward in 1862. He was an active 
supporter of the Democratic ticket and was a stanch member of the Lutheran 
church. His wife survived him but a few months, when she, too, passed away 
in death. Mr. and Mrs. Gundrum became the parents of sixteen children, sev- 
en of whom still survive, namely : Henry, a resident of Richland county, Ohio ; 
Pasetta, wife of Arthur Cleland, of this county; Sarah, the wife of Isaac Cole, 
of Richland county, Ohio; Lovina. wife of Henry Cloyd, of Missouri; Michael,. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 841 

who resides in Steuben county, Indiana; Rebecca, wife of James Smith, of 
Tiffin, Ohio; and Silas, the subject of this review. 

The latter was reared to manhood in the place of his nativity, there ac- 
quiring a limited education in the old pioneer log school house of his neigh- 
borhood. In 1856 he came to Bucyrus, Ohio, and learned the cabinet-maker's 
trade, but after two years spent in the city his father purchased his eighty-acre 
tract and, wishing the son to assist him in its cultivation, the latter located on 
that place, and in i860 he and his brother Henry took charge of the farm, 
conducting the same on the shares. After the father's death Silas purchased 
the home farm and the brother became the owner of the adjoining eighty 
acres. On this place our subject has ever since continued to make his home,, 
and his efforts in his chosen vocation have been attended with a high and well 
merited degree of success. His fields are under a fine state of cultivation, 
everything about the place being neat and thrifty in its appearance, and its 
owner stands among the foremost agriculturists of Crawford county. 

On the 27th of June, 1861, Mr. Gundrum was united in marriage to Miss 
Lovina Buck, a native of Licking count}-, Ohio, and a daughter of John 
Buck. . Unto this union have been born eight children, as follows: John, a 
resident of Polk township, Crawford county; William, at home; Anna, de- 
ceased; Joseph, who resides in Sandusky township, this county; Margaret, 
the wife of Albert Heller, of Sandusky township; Silas and Emma, twins, and 
both now deceased; and Frank, who is still under the parental roof. Mr. 
Gundrum is a stanch supporter of the principles of the Democracy and is also< 
a zealous member of the United Brethren church. 

WILLIAM SHERMAN NYE. 

William Sherman Nye, one of the leading business men and agriculturists 
of Crawford county, is a native son of the Buckeye state, his birth having oc- 
curred in Cranberry township, Crawford county, on the 9th of September, 
1865. He is a son of Jonathan and Lovina (Immel) Nye. The father was 
born in Medina county, Ohio, on the 2d of March, 1823, his parents being 
Jonathan and Sabrina (Briggs) Nye. Jonathan Nye, the grandfather of our 
subject, was born in Massachusetts, in 1770, and the father, also named Jona- 
than, was a well known resident of Massachusetts. The latter was a son of 
Jonathan Nye, who was engaged in whale fishing, following that dangerous 
occupation for many years. 

Jonathan Nye, the grandfather of our subject, was reared to manhood in 



842 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

his parents' home, receiving his education in the common schools of the neigh- 
borhood. After his marriage he engaged in farming pursuits on his own 
account, and a few years afterward he removed to the state of New York, 
where his wife died. He afterward married again, his second union being 
with Sabrina Briggs, the grandmother of our subject. By his first marriage 
he had seven children, all of whom are now deceased. Soon after his second 
marriage he came to Ohio, locating in Medina county, where he entered one 
hundred and sixty acres of forest land, on which he erected a log cabin. As 
the years passed he cleared his land, there remaining until 1825, when he sold 
that property and came to Crawford county, here entering one hundred and 
sixty acres of forest land near what is now North Robinson. He cleared 
eighty acres of his land, giving the remaining eighty acres to two of his sons, 
and there he spent his remaining days, passing away in 1849. In 1853 his 
widow was also called to the home beyond, and at her death the farm passed 
into possession of Jonathan and Lorenzo Nye. In 1857 the brothers sold the 
place and came to Cranberry township, the former purchasing the farm which 
he yet owns, consisting of eighty acres, while Lorenzo became the owner of 
ninetv-tive acres just across the road from his brother. Lorenzo* Nye was 
married, and his brother Jonathan boarded with him until his marriage, on 
the 2 1st of April, 1861, to Miss Lovina Immel, who was a native of Cran- 
berry township, her birth having occurred on the farm adjoining that which 
belongs to her husband, and was a daughter of Philip Immel, one of the 
early pioneers of this township. He emigrated from Pennsylvania, his na- 
tive state, his parents having been of Pennsylvania Dutch descent. After his 
marriage Philip Immel emigrated with his bride to the Buckeye state, making 
the journey by wagons, and after his arrival in Crawford county he entered 
eighty acres of land in Cranberry township, the deed being' signed by Andrew 
Jackson. He erected a log cabin, and blankets were hung' up for doors and 
to keep out the wolves. As time passed he cleared his farm and placed his 
fields under a fine state of cultivation, and there he spent his remaining days, 
his death occurring in 1885. 

After his marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Nye began life in an old log cabin on 
his father's farm, and through this rude structure the wind whistled and the 
rain and snow were blown through the crevices, it being almost impossible in 
severe weather to keep from freezing to death. For five years they remained 
in that primitive dwelling, and in 1866 they erected their pleasant and com- 
modious dwelling", where they are now enjoying the comforts and many of 
the luxuries of life. Six children blessed their union, three of whom still 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 843 

survive, namely: William Sherman, whose name introduces this review; 
Albert Sheridan, an agriculturist of Cranberry township; and Eli Liberty, 
who is still at home. The father of these children is a Republican in his politi- 
cal views, and during the Civil war was a stanch abolitionist. Although not a 
member of any religious denomination his views are in harmony with the 
Methodist doctrine, and he has always given liberally of his time 'and means 
to its support. His life has been crowned with success, and he now enjoys the 
respect and esteem of all with whom he has become acquainted. 

William Sherman Nye, the immediate subject of this review, was reared 
to manhood under the parental roof, and his educational advantages were those 
afforded by the common schools of his locality, and the G. W. Michael Business 
College, of Delaware, where he prepared himself for the teacher's profession. 
After receiving his certificate he had two different schools tendered him, but 
that occupation did not prove congenial to his tastes, and he accordingly aban- 
doned all thought of becoming a teacher. At the early age of fourteen years 
he began working on the farm, and from that time on the major portion of its 
work fell upon his young shoulders. When eighteen years of age he received 
his share of the crops, and for five years full. .wing his marriage he remained 
on the home farm, after which, in the spring of 1897, he purchased a?d re- 
moved to the place which he now occupies, consisting of eighty acres. He 
has placed his fields under a high state of cultivation, which annually yield 
to him golden returns, and he now ranks high among the influential and prom- 
inent agriculturists and swine-breeders of Crawford county. 

On the 29th of November, 1891, Mr. Nye was united in marriage with 
Miss Zella M. Springer, a native of Cranberry township, and a daughter of 
S. S. Springer, now deceased. Two children have graced this marriage, Ber- 
tha L. and Willis L. In political matters Mr. Nye affiliates with the Republi- 
can party, but the honors or emoluments of office have never had an attraction 
for him, although he is a public-spirited and loyal citizen. He is well and 
favorably known in the community in which he resides, and numbers its best 
residents among his warmest and most confidential friends. 

JOHN HARKENRIDER. . 

John Harkenrider is a well known representative of the industrial interests 
of Crestline, being foreman in the car shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad 
Company, located in this place. He was born in Allen county, Indiana, Au- 
gust 23, 1852, and is of German lineage. His father, Henry Harkenrider,. 



844 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

was a native of Germany, and after attaining man's estate was there married 
to Margaret Grnsh, who was also born in the same country. Believing that 
they might have better opportunities in the new world, they bade adieu to the 
fatherland, crossed the Atlantic and took up their abode near Fort Wayne, 
Indiana, where the father purchased a farm. For forty years he resided in 
Pleasant township, Allen county, and there died at about the age of sixty-live 
years. His widow still survives him, at the ripe old age of seventy-eight years, 
and is yet living on the old home place in Pleasant township. This worthy 
couple became the parents of five sons and two daughters. 

John Harkenrider, the second son and child, was reared amid the scenes 
of rural life, working in the fields in the summer months, while in the winter 
season he attended school, his time being thus occupied until he began learning 
the carpenter's trade at the age of eighteen years. He began business as an 
employe of George Holmes, of Vermilion township, Allen county, Indiana, 
to whom he served an apprenticeship of three years, and afterward was em- 
ployed by him as a journeyman for two years. He afterward worked for 
other contractors and was engaged on many buildings in Fort Wayne as an 
employe of Jesse Lower. In 1881 he entere.d the service of the Pennsylvania 
Railroad Company as a carpenter, receiving one dollar and ninety-five cents 
per day for his services. He was with the corporation in Fort Wayne until 
1889, when he came to Crestline as foreman of the car shops at that place, 
since which time he has served continuously in that capacity. His long and 
varied experience in the line of his chosen occupation as well as his good 
executive ability and capable control of the business won him the confidence 
of the officers of the road. He is well qualified for the duties and labors 
which devolve upon him, and he has control of all the carpenter work in the 
shops of Crestline and at times he has as many as one hundred men under his 
supervision. 

Mr, Harkenrider was united in marriage to Miss Mary Shaughney, a na- 
tive of Pleasant township, Allen county, Indiana. Her people were early 
settlers of that locality. Their marriage has been blessed with four daughters 
and a son, namely: Lizzie, Annie, Maggie, Loretta and Thomas. Mr. 
Harkenrider has taken a great interest in the education of his children, realiz- 
ing the importance of good mental training as a discipline and preparation for 
life's work. The eldest daughter, Lizzie, having enjoyed good school privi- 
leges, is now occupying the position of bookkeeper at the Gibson House. Annie 
is quite a successful musician and is now engaged in teaching music, while 
the younger children are students in the schools of Crestline. Mr. Harken- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 845 

rider himself had but limited educational privileges, his knowledge being 
largely acquired by study at night after working hours were over. He has 
also added to this by extensive reading and observation and is now a well 
informed man. He and his family are members of the Catholic church at 
Crestline, and in his political affiliations he is a Democrat. On the ticket of 
the party he was elected a member of the city council and is now serving in 
that capacity. His official prerogatives are used in support of all measures for 
the development and improvement of the city. 

JOHN FISHER. 

John Fisher, an engineer on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Rail- 
road, residing at Crestline, was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, February 
9, 1852. His father, Adam Fisher, was a native of the same locality, and in 
the year 1855 crossed the Atlantic to America, bringing with him his family. 
He believed that he might better provide for his wife and children in the new 
world, and accordingly he located upon a farm in Crawford county, Ohio, 
where he carried on agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred in 
the year 1878. His wife, Mrs. Catherine Fisher, was also born in Hesse- 
Darmstadt, passing away in Crawford county. Their children are Adam, 
Mrs. Grufstein, Mrs. Elizabeth Clemens, Philip, Lein, George, Eliza, Fred, 
Jacob, John and Mrs. Mary Fiddler. 

In taking up the personal history of John Fisher we present to our readers 
the life record of one who is widely known in Crawford county. He was 
brought to Ohio by his parents when only three years of age, and has here 
passed his entire life. He pursued his education in the schools of Crestline 
and in his youth worked upon his father's farm, assisting in the labors of 
field and meadow from the time of early spring planting until the crops were 
gathered in the autumn. Not desiring to follow the plow as a life work, how- 
ever, he left home in 1871 to enter the railroad service as a fireman in the 
employ of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad. He was thus 
engaged for five years, on the expiration of which period he was promoted to 
the position of engineer, in which capacity he has served for a quarter of a 
century. He has been offered postions on passenger trains, but has refused 
these, preferring to run on a freight engine. He is most reliable, painstaking 
and careful, and he enjoys in an unusual degree the confidence of his superiors. 
In the line of his chosen life work he has social relations with the Brotherhood 
of Locomotive Engineers. 



846 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

In 1876 Mr. Fisher was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Metz, who 
was born in Crawford county, October 12, 1854, her parents having come to 
Ohio from Germany in an early period of the development of the Buckeye state. 
Two children grace the union of our subject and his wife, — Amos and Howard. 
The parents hold membership in the Lutheran church, and in his political 
affiliations Mr. Fisher is a Democrat, supporting the men and measures of 
the party and keeping well informed on the issues of the day. He has never 
been an aspirant for office, preferring to give his entire attention to> his work. 
He has a wide acquaintance in Crawford county and his friends are almost as 
numerous. 

R. M. YOUNGBLOOD. 

R. M. Young-blood, who is occupying the position of clerk in the yard- 
master's office of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad Company, 
was born in the city of Indiana, Pennsylvania, March 6, 1840. His father, 
William Youngblood, was a native of Middleton, Franklin county, Pennsyl- 
vania, and by trade was a shoemaker, learning the business in early life, and 
following it for a number of years. After his marriage he removed to Indiana, 
Pennsylvania, and thence came to Ohio, locating in Alliance, Stark county, 
where he died when about sixty years of age. He was of German lineage, 
the original American ancestors having come from the fatherland. But the 
grandfather of our subject was a native of the Keystone state. William 
Youngblood married Miss Isabella McCune, who was a native of Franklin 
county, where she resided up to the time of her removal with her husband to 
Indiana county. She lived to attain the age of eighty-live years and died in 
Alliance, Stark county, Ohio. She was of Scotch-Irish descent. Air. and 
Mrs. Youngblood were the parents of fifteen children, thirteen of whom 
reached years of maturity, while eight of the family are still living, four of the 
brothers being railroad men. 

Mr. Youngblood, of this review, was the eleventh in order of birth and is 
now the only one of the brothers in the railroad office. He was in his eight- 
eenth year when he accompanied his parents on their removal from Penn- 
sylvania to Alliance, and at that time he secured a position as freight brake- 
man, running from Crestline to Alliance and Allegheny. In 1862 he was made 
freight conductor and followed that business with the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne 
& Chicago Railroad Company until 1871, when he was made a passenger 
conductor, running from Crestline to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, until 1885, 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 847 

covering a period of almost a quarter of a century, serving as conductor of the 
same road. In 1885-6 he tended the switches in the Crestline yards and from 
1886 until 1899 was assistant yardmaster at Crestline, since which time he 
has occupied his present position in the yardmaster' s office. The large rail- 
road corporations are exacting in their demands made on their employes, yet 
are quick to recognize faithful service and to continue in their employ those 
who are true, faithul and capable and to this class belongs Air. Youngblood, 
who has been with the company through the entire period of his business career. 
On the 24th of December, 1863, occurred the marriage of Mr. Young- 
blood and Miss Sarah Hunt, a native of Huron county, Ohio, born in the 
village of London. They became the parents of three children : Harry, who. 
is living in Crestline; Minnie, at home; and Frank, who is a clerk in 
the office of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad Company. In 
his political views Mr. Youngblood is a stanch Republican and is well known 
among the representative people of the county. He is a member of the Vol- 
unteer Relief Railroad Society, an organizaton formed for the relief of all 
in need of assistance who are in the railroad employ. For forty-one years he 
has been connected with the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago line anvl is 
therefore one of its oldest employes. It would be difficult for anyone in this 
or other walks of life to show a record of more faithful service than Mr. 
Youngblood has done, and to those who desire advancement his history should 
furnish an example worthy of emulation in shoving the power of fklelitv as 
a potent aid in the business world. 

THOMAS X. PATTERSON, D. D. S. 

Prominent among the rising professional men of Cranberry township, 
Crawford county, is Dr. Thomas Newton Patterson, a successful and popular 
practitioner of dentistry, who in the past six years has absorbed the greater 
part of the patronage in his line in this section. The birth of Dr. Patterson 
was in Guernsey county, Ohio, on August 30, 1866, and he was a son of 
William and Mary J. (Young) Patterson. The former was born in West- 
moreland county, Pennsylvania, where he grew to manhood and pursued the 
trade of millwright for some years, later engaging in contracting. 

The early boyhood of Thomas X. Patterson was spent in his home and in 
attendance upon the common schools in his district, but at the age of fifteen 
years he began to make his own way in the world. His first work was in a 
sash factory in Mansfield, and while employed there during the day he pur- 

48 



S 4 S CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

sued his studies at night. With the exception of short intervals he continued in 
the sash factory for the following ten years and then accepted a position in the 
wholesale department of the hardware firm of Wagner & Son, with whom he 
remained one year. His tastes, however, were not in this line, and he deter- 
mined to begin the study of dentistry. In the fall of 1893 he entered the Ohio 
State Medical University and in the spring of 1896 he was graduated at this in- 
stitution.. In the following spring he located in New* Washington and since 
then has been very successful in his practice. Dr. Patterson is a student and 
keeps well informed concerning all of the modern discoveries in his chosen 
profession, and employs all of the modern implements which have done so 
much in late years to- change the whole practice of his science. 

Dr. Patterson was married in February, 1896, to Miss Mary M. Xagie, 
who was born in Mansfield, and was the daughter of Daniel Nagle. Two 
children w 7 ere born of this union : Margaret, deceased, and an infant. Dr. 
Patterson is an active member of the United Brethren church, where he is 
highly regarded. His skill and close attention to business have won for him 
the confidence of the public, and he is regarded as one of the rising young 
men 111 his profession whose success is permanent. 



SAMUEL EICHHORX. 

Among the worthy German emigrants in Ohio was John Eichhorn, from 
Baden, who in 1835 located three miles south of Gallon, in Morrow- county. 
His son, Adam Eichhorn, was born in Baden, Germany, in 181 7, and came 
over to America with his father, his mother having died in 1834. On attain- 
ing his majority lie was given one half of his father's farm of one hundred 
and sixty acres, on which he erected buildings and which he proceeded to im- 
prove. Pie married Margaret Lover, who bore him eight children, three of 
whom, beside the subject of this sketch, survive: Christian J., of Polk town- 
ship. Crawford county, Ohio; Catharine, who is the wife of Peter Zimmer- 
man of the same township; and Emma S., who is not married. Mr. and Mrs. 
Eichhorn lived on their farm in Morrow county until 1866, when Mr. Eich- 
horn sold the place and removed to Gallon, where he lived until 1873, when 
he bought a farm of one hundred acres on the Winchester road, two miles 
and a half west of Gabon, where he lived until his death, which occurred Octo- 
ber 24, 1900. His widow", now in her seventy-fourth year, lives on their 
homestead which is now managed by their son, Christian Eichhorn. Mr. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 849 

Eichhorn, who was a prominent Democrat, long wielded a marked influence 
in the affairs of his townsmen. 

Samuel Eichhorn was born on the Eichhorn homestead in Morrow coun- 
ty, Ohio, October 10, 1857, and was educated in the common schools and 
brought up a practical farmer. April 21, 1881, he married Miss Mary E. 
Hocker, a native of Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio, and a daugh- 
ter of Philip Hocker, who was born in Baden, Germany. For a year after 
his marriage he worked the home farm on shares, and in 1882 he located on 
his present farm of eighty acres, then the property of his father-in-law, which 
he worked on shares for five years. He then bought the place on which, in 
1890, he erected an addition to his house and built a commodious barn. He 
has adequate outbuildings and all necessary appliances for successful farm- 
ing, and his farm is considered one of the best improved and equipped agri- 
cultural properties in the township. In 1901, Mr. Eichhorn bought the John 
Wardon farm of forty acres, on which are another fine residence and hand- 
some farm buildings. He devotes himself to general farming, but makes a 
specialty of raising hogs, in which he has been very successful. His methods 
have been so progressive and so fruitful of good results that he has come to 
be regarded as one of the most substantial farmers in Crawford county. 
In politics he is a Democrat and for six years he has been a member of the 
township school board. He is a member of the German Reformed church 
at Galion, in which for years he has held various offices, and is now an elder. 

Samuel and Mary E. (Hocker) Eichhorn had four children, three of 
whom survive: Calvin H., who is employed at Flickinger's Wheel Works, 
at Galion, Ohio, and Edwin W. and Emma M., who are members of their fa- 
ther's household. Mrs. Eichhorn died December 20, 1886, and February 13, 
1889, Mr. Eichhorn married Miss Mary Edler, a native of Marion county, 
Ohio, and a daughter of Carl Edler, a prominent farmer of Jefferson town- 
ship, Crawford county, Ohio. By his second marriage he has two sons named 
Roy O. and Earl F. Eichhorn. 

JACOB ULMER. 

Jacob Ulmer, who is carrying on agricultural pursuits in Liberty township, 
Crawford county, where he is known as a reliable and highly esteemed citizen, 
was born on the farm where he now resides, on October 30, 1847, a son °f 
Daniel and Barbara (Brose) Ulmer, and is one of the eight survivors in a 
family of eleven children. The names of these are: Fredericka, the wife of 



850 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Adam Durr, of Fort Recovery, Mercer county, Ohio; Abraham, of Cran- 
berry townshp, this county; Adam, of Bucyrus; John, of Fort Recovery; 
Jacob, of this sketch; George, of Fort Recovery; Solomon, of Holmes town- 
ship; and Samuel, of Sulphur Springs. 

Daniel Ulmer, the father of our subject, was born in Germany, in 1805, 
and grew up on the home farm, also working at times for neighboring farmers, 
in 1832 he left his native land with the intention of finding a better opportunity 
in America. After a long and wearisome voyage of six weeks he landed in 
Xew York city and came on into Ohio to Crawford county, where he knew he 
would find friends who had preceded him the years before. Mr. Ulmer came 
with the determination to- succeed, and immediately entered a small tract of 
land, containing forty acres, in Liberty township, located one and one-half 
miles east of Brandywine Station, and upon it he erected a log cabin, in the 
forest, and soon after installed his bride within it and settled down to a busy 
life. His wife, Barbara Brose, was a most estimable young lady, who had 
come from Germany on the same vessel with him, and she made him a loving 
helpmate and was a cheerful companion through the pioneer experiences which 
followed. Two years after marriage Mr. Ulmer sold the forty-acre farm and 
bought one of eighty acres, in the same township, two miles north of Sulphur 
Springs. Of the eighty acres live were already cleared, and a log cabin had 
been built upon it by the former owner. Here Air. Ulmer went to work with 
a will, cleared and improved the land, and in later years bought the thirty- 
acre tract adjoining, erected commodious and comfortable buildings and made 
his farm one of the best and most productive in the locality. He was known 
far and wide for his thrift and industry, as well as for his neighborly kindness. 
On April 30, 1884, occurred his death, and the Lutheran church lost one of 
its most valued members. 

Jacob Ulmer was reared on the farm and obtained his education at the 
common schools of the locality. When he had attained his nineteenth year 
his father permitted him to start out in life for himself, after which he worked 
at the carpenter's trade before and after the harvest seasons, during which time 
he was employed in running a threshing machine for six years. In 1874 
he married Miss Louisa Ackerman, a native of Liberty township, a daughter of 
David Ackerman, who had been born in Wurtemberg, Germany, and had been 
one of the early settlers of Crawford county. Three children were born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Ulmer, viz. : Thomas, Alpheus D., and Catherine, — all of 
whom reside at home. 

After marriage Mr. Ulmer settled down on the home place and farmed' 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 851 

for his father, on shares, until about 1880, when he purchased the place, con- 
sisting of one hundred and four acres. His aged father then took up his resi- 
dence with his son, Samuel Ulmer, the mother having passed away during the 
previous year. Since that time Mr. Ulmer has successfully pursued farming, 
his land yielding large crops, and his herds increasing in numbers until he is 
justly regarded as one of the most substantial citizens of the locality. In 
politics, like his father, he has always been a Democrat, and has served for 
several terms as township trustee. His interest in educational matters has 
made him a valuable member of the school beard and he is a leading member 
of the German Lutheran church. Mr. Ulmer is one of the highly respected 
farmer-citizens of Crawford count)'. 

JOSEPH M. RICHARDS. 

Joseph M. Richards, deceased, was a man of sterling worth who made 
his home in Crestline and by his many commendable personal characteristics 
won the esteem and confidence of a large circle of friends. He was born in 
New T Brighton, Pennsylvania, June 9, 1852, and there remained until his re- 
moval to Allegheny, where he entered the railway service, acting as fireman 
for his brother on the Pennsylvania road. Before he was twenty years of 
age he was made an engineer and acted in that capacity with the same road 
until his death, which occurred in 1892, when he was accidentally killed 
while on duty. He was oiling his engine and was struck by a passing pas- 
senger train, being instantly killed. It was while making a return trip from 
Pittsburg with freight No. 65. He ran his train on the siding at Steele in or- 
der to secure the necessary coal and also clear the track for the passenger train. 
No. 31. He had gone down under the engine and crawld out while it was 
letting off steam, so that he did not hear the on-coming train, which was ap- 
proaching at a speed of thirty miles an hour. A projection struck his head 
and death followed immediately. He had resided for more than fourteen 
years in Crestline and was known to every school child almost as well as to 
the older residents of the city. He was extremely kind-hearted and was num- 
bered among the best residents of the community. He held membership with 
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and the Relief Society, and wher- 
ever known he commanded respect and the friendship of his fellow men. He 
was sober and industrious, energetic and reliable, and his many excellent quali- 
ties classed him among the citizens of worth. 

Mr. Richards in earlv manhood was united in marriage to Miss Emma 



852 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Weber, who was born in Crestline, on Christmas clay of '1858, and was a 
daughter of Michael and Mary (Miller) Weber. Her father was a prominent 
and honored pioneer of Crestline, conducting a hostelry where the Continental 
now stands, this place being known as the Franklin House. However, a fire 
destroyed the hotel in i860. Mr. Weber was also in the grocery business and 
was one of the prominent men of the town, occupying an enviable position 
in business and social circles and as a member of the Masonic fraternity. He 
died in 1884, leaving a family of three sons and two daughters. His widow 
is still living. 

Mrs. Richards is the eldest of the five children. She was reared in Crest- 
line and there pursued her education. Her brothers and sisters are: George, 
who is an engineer on the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago road ; Christ, a 
fireman ; Mary, wife of James B. Fitzsimmons, an engineer on the Pittsburg, 
Ft. Wayne & Chicago Railroad; and John George, deceased. Mrs. Richards 
has considerable prominence in Crestline, being one of those well-to-do la- 
dies of the city. Her home is celebrated for its thoughtful and gracious hos- 
pitality and her many friends delight there to gather. 

P. FRED HOSS. 

P. Fred Hoss, who owns and cultivates one hundred and twenty acres of 
fine land in Chatfield township, represents one of the old and honored pioneer 
families of the county. When the greater part of the land in this lacality was 
still in possession of the government his grandfather, John A. Hoss, took up 
.his abode in Crawford county. He was a natve of Wurtemberg, Germany, 
and with his family he came to America, crossing the Atlantic in a sailing- 
vessel, the voyage consuming weeks instead of days, as at the present time. 
Continuing his journey westward to Crawford county, lie entered a tract of 
government land in Chatfield township — the farm upon which our subject was 
born — and erected a log cabin, after which he began to clear and develop his 
land, thus making a good home for his family. One of his children was Adam 
Hoss, who was born in Y\ urtemberg, Germany, in 1823, and was therefore 
a lad of ten summers at the time of the emigration of the family to the new 
world. He was reared here amid frontier scenes and experiences and after 
attaining to man's estate he married a Miss Leity, by whom he had two chil- 
dren, Adam and Christiana, both now deceased. After the death of the 
mother the father wedded Catherine Leity, and they had three children, 
namelv : Fred; Elizabeth, the wife of Ben Green; and Lena, who married 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 853 

Dan Kolb. The father continued to reside oh the old family homestead until 
called to his final rest in 1895, when seventy-two years of age, and the mother 
of our subject passed away the same year. They were consistent members of 
the Lutheran church, known and respected for their sterling- worth. The 
father came to the count}- in limited circumstances but he cleared and improved 
his farm, worked industriously and with determination, and thus became 
well-to-do-. 

On the old famly homestead, now occupied by Samuel K< iln, P. Fred 
Hoss was born, on the 4th of July, 1855, and there his youth was passed, the 
duties of the school room claiming his attention in the winter months, while in 
the early spring he aided in planting the crops, assisted in their cultivation 
through the summer, and in the autumn performed his share in garnering tne 
yield of the fields. He was married in 1883 but continued on the old home 
place until 1888, when he came to his present farm, comprising one hundred 
and twenty acres of the rich land of Chatfield township. The buildings, fences 
and other improvements upon the place were put there by him, and he carries 
on general farming and stock-raising, having well tilled fields and good grades 
f stock, — all giving evidence of his thrift and careful supervision. 

In 1883 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Hoss and Miss Elizabeth 
Klink. a daughter of Christian Klink, and unto them have been born four 
children, Jesse E., Eva, Jonas and Bertha. The parents belong to the Luth- 
eran church and have many friends in the county. Having spent his entire 
life in Chatfield township Mr. Hoss is deeply interested in its welfare and is a 
progressive citizen. 

SMITH W. BENNETT. 

Probably no profession affords a wider field for individual enterprise and 
ability than does the legal profession, and this fact has attracted to its ranks 
multitudes of ambitious young men in every generation since law became 
reduced to a recognized science and increasing civilization has demanded a finer 
discrimination between justice and injustce. "Through struggles to success" 
has certainly been the history of Mr. Bennett. Handicapped by physical 
disability, but with strong determination and' perseverance, he has steadily 
advanced until today he occupies a conspicuous position among the dis- 
tinguished members of the bar of this portion of Ohio. 

He was born in Apollo, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, on the 8th 
of Mav, 1859, and is a son of William B. and Mary A. (Herron) Bennett, 



854 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

both of whom were natives of western Pennsylvania, and removed from the 
Keystone state to Ohio in 1862. On the 4th of April, 1864, they took up their 
abode in Bucyrus. The mother died in May, 1899, at the age of seventy years, 
and the father is now retired in Bucyrus. The only school privileges which 
Smith W. Bennett enjoyed were those afforded through the educational system 
of Bucyrus. He was graduated in the high school here in June, 1879, but his 
study had not been continuous. During his fifteenth year he was ill, being con- 
fined to his bed for one entire year with necrosis of the tibia, which left him crip_ 
pled in the left limb and forced him to remain away from school for three years, 
naturally a lover of books, he spent much of his time in reading and in his 
youth had a desire to enter the literary field, but thinking that he was not 
sufficiently well educated, upon leaving school to become a writer, he under- 
took to learn a trade from which to derive means sufficient to enable him to 
prosecute a college course. Physical weakness, however, forced him to give 
up this work and he was persuaded by his mother to read law. He at first 
had no inclination to do this, but complying with her request, he soon became 
deeply interested in his studies — an interest that has never waned, but has 
grown stronger as he has mastered the principles of jurisprudence and learned 
of the wonderful science which has developed into the present intricate 
legal system. His long illness, though difficult to be borne at the time, proved, 
as Mr. Bennett says, "the most beneficial thing that ever happened" to him. 
In early inured him to suffering and turned his thoughts toward books. 
Necessity and his mother's influence turned his thoughts to the law and 
success has attended his efforts in this direction. He has contributed as a 
writer to the literature of his profession, as well as to various magazines and 
periodicals. For thirteen years he was a partner of General E. B. Finley, 
of Bucyrus. During a part of that time the firm was known as Finley, 
Eaton & Bennett, and later became Finley, Beer & Bennett, the second 
member being Judge Thomas Beer, of Bucyrus. Afterward the firm became 
Beer, Bennett & Monnett, and thus remained until January 1, 1898, when 
it was dissolved. Air. Bennett then went into the office of Hon. F. S. 
Monnett, attorney general of Ohio, as special counsel, and after the termina- 
tion of Mr. Monnett's term, remained with his successor, the Hon. J. M. 
Sheets, in the same capacity. He has had charge of very important cases in 
state and federal courts, and in the supreme court of the United States, at 
Washington. Some of the most important questions of taxation have been 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 855 

settled by causes in which he participated, especially that concerning" the 
taxation of shares of national banks. 

On the 1 2th of January, 1891, Mr. Bennett was united in marriage to 
Miss Effie Monnett, of Bucyrus, Ohio, a daughter of Rev. T. J. Monnett, 
of Bucyrus, and a graduate of Monnett Hall of the Ohio Wesleyan University, 
at Delaware, this state. She died October 26, 1898, leaving two children, 
Hugh M., born February 22, 1892, and Grace Lizetta, born January 2, 1896. 
On the 28th of November, 1900, Mr. Bennett was again married, his second 
union being with Miss Annie Drought, of Bucyrus, daughter of William H. 
Drought, and a lady of refinement and social distinction. Mr. Bennett holds 
membership in the First Methodist Episcopal church, at Bucyrus, but while 
an adherent to that denomination, is liberal in his views, according to others 
the right which he reserves for himself of forming his own opinions upon all 
such matters. In his political views he has always been a Republican, and 
has assisted the cause of the party "on the stump'' since the Blaine cam- 
paign of 1884. He belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and 
to the Knights of Pythias fraternity, and has attained the thirty-second degree 
of Masonry. At the session of the Ohio State Bar Association, held in July, 
1 901, he was elected its secretary, which position he now holds. Viewed 
in a personal light he is a strong man, of excellent judgment, fair in his views 
and highly honorable in his relations with his fellow men. His integrity 
stands as an unquestioned fact in his career. His life has been manly, his 
actions sincere, his manner unaffected and his example is well worthy of 
emulation. 

ABRAHAM LAIBBLY. 

Throughout his entire business career Mr. Laibbly has carried on agri- 
cultural pursuits and is now the owner of a valuable and attractive farm of 
one hundred acres in Chatfield township, Crawford county. He was born 
in Mahoning county, Ohio, October 6, 1836, his parents being John and 
Susanna Laibbly, who had eleven children, six of whom are yet living. Upon 
the family homestead in the county of his nativity the subject of this review 
spent the days of his boyhood and youth, early becoming familiar with all 
the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. On attaining 
his majority he began farming on the shares, and has always engaged in 
the tilling of the soil, his industry and careful management making his work 
a profitable source of income. 



856 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

In the year 1857 Mr. Laibbly was married to Miss Catherine Mock, and 
unto them were born two children : Emery W., who is now a resident farmer 
of Chat field township; and Matilda, who died at the age of two years. 
After the death of his first wife Mr. Laibbly was again married, his second 
union being celebrated on the 17th of January, 1899, when Amy Seiple 
became his wife. 

It was in the year i860 that Mr. Laibbly removed to Crawford county, 
taking up his abode upon the farm which has since been his home. He at 
first purchased eighty acres of land, but has since added to the property, 
until he now owns one hundred acres. Only twenty acres had been cleared 
when he took possession, all of the remainder being covered with a heavy 
growth of timber. He has since cleared forty acres alone, and of the entire 
amount eighty-three ?.cres has been made ready for the plow and is now 
under a high state of cultivation, the fields yielding a golden tribute to the 
owner, while fine improvements indicate lus progressive spirit. His first 
home here was a log cabin, in which he resided for eighteen years, when he 
replaced it by his present fine commodious residence. Good barns and out- 
buildings also furnish shelter for grain and stock, and the accessories and 
conveniences of a model farm are here in evidence, standing as monuments 
to the enterprise and labor of the owner. 

Mr. Laibbly gives his political support to the Democracy, and his fellow 
townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, have frequently called him to 
public orifice, continuing him in the position of township trustee for nine 
years. He is a member of the parish church, and is a citizen of worth, 
widely and favorably known throughout his adopted county. 

AMOS B. CHARLTON. 

Among the eminently successful and widely known farmers and stock- 
raisers of Liberty township, Crawford county, is Amos B. Charlton, who was 
born on the 7th of September, 1835, in this township, a son of Michael and 
Anna (Mason) Charlton. Nine children were born to the parents of our sub- 
ject, and of these six still survive, namely: Mary, the wife of L. H. Mason, 
of Ashland county; Elizabeth, the widow of J. H. Wert ; Amos B., of this 
sketch; Narcissa, the widow of William Tobias, of Wooster, Ohio; Jonas, 
formerly a member of the One Hundred and First Ohio> Volunteer Infantry, 
and now a resident of Columbus county, Ohio; and Alpheus D. Charles was 
a member of Company C, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil war, and 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 857 

died of typhus ever at Grafton, Virginia ; and Anna and Alexander have also 
passed away. 

The father of this family, Michael Charlton, was born in Hagerstown, 
Maryland, on the 5th of March, 1808, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Men- 
ser) Charlton, who, with their family of ten children, emigrated to Columbiana 
county, Ohio, as early as 1822. In 1829 his father gave him a tract of eighty 
acres of land in Liberty township, Crawford county, which the latter had en- 
tered some time previously. After one summer's work on this farm, however, 
Michael returned to Columbiana county, and there married Anna Mason, who 
was born therein in 1810. In the following spring they returned to Liberty 
township and settled on their farm, and this became their permanent resdence. 
As time went on Michael Charlton bought other land, adding at different times 
till he owned four hundred and thirteen acres in Liberty township, and one 
hundred and sixty in Columbiana count)-. A long and useful life was his, 
and although it extended to his ninety-first year it was tilled with good deeds, 
and when death came, on January 15, 1899, he was sincerely mourned by a 
large circle of friends. To the end he took an interest in public affairs, was 
a stanch Republican and was a most estimable man. The mother had passed 
away on September 20, 1892, at the age of eighty-one years, eleven months 
and seven days. 

Amos B. Charlton, our immediate subject, grew to manhood surrounded 
by excellent home influences, and it was not until he had attained his majority 
that he embarked in farming upon his. own account. His success as a dealer 
and shipper iof stock was immediate, but the Civil war broke out just at this 
time, and on August 12, 1861, he enlisted for service in Company C, Forty- 
ninth Ohio' Volunteer Infantry, and was made second lieutenant of his com- 
pany. He saw eight months of service in the Army of the Cumberland, under 
General Buell, but was then stricken with typhoid fever and was sent to the 
hospital at Louisville, Kentucky, for several weeks. So< eager was he to be 
again in the field that he rejoined his regiment before he was able, suffered a 
relapse and was obliged to resign his command, sending in his resignation. 
A change seemed to cause so much improvement that his comrades persuaded' 
him to recall his resignation, and in his desire to be again on the field of duty 
he did so, but the very next day he was again prostrated and was quickly put 
aboard the train and sent home. This explains why he never received any 
formal discharge, although he had been a brave and faithful soldier. 

The following summer was spent by Mr. Charlton in recuperating, but 
the next season he again engaged in farming, working for his father on the- 



858 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

shares and also resumed his buying and shipping of stock to eastern markets. 
When Mr. Charlton first engaged in the business of shipping he was the young- 
est shipper in this section of the country. His judgment was excellent, he un- 
derstood his market, was careful and cautious and his business in this line so 
prospered that the time came when he shipped as high as ninety thousand 
dollars worth of stock in a single season. In 1872 he purchased the home 
farm, consisting" of one hundred and seventy-one acres, and has ever since 
continued to make this desirable place his home. He sold it in 1894 to L. H. 
Mason, who in turn sold it to W. H. Charlton. 

The marriage of Mr. Charlton was in 1869, to Miss Emma E. Hoppel, a 
native of Northampton county, Pennsylvania, born on the 23d of October, 
1849, anc l came to Crawford county wth her parents when quite young. To 
this marriage were born seven children : Virgil H.. who is in the office of the 
Osborne Machine Company, of Columbus, Ohio; Ary B., a hotel man of Alle- 
gheny. Pennsylvania; Michael Z., a teacher, who resides at home; Anna, a 
teacher and wife of Dr. E. E. Bevington, of Sulphur Springs, Ohio; Mabel, 
also a teacher, who is the wife of W. F. McCameron, of Sandusky township ; 
and Orlo H. and Donald H., who are living at home. All of the children of 
Mr. Charlton have been afforded excellent educational opportunities and four 
-of them have been acceptable teachers. Virgil H. and Michael Z. finished 
their courses at Ada (Ohio) College. 

Mr. Charlton has been identified with various interests, for nine years 
being a partner in the butchering business in Sulphur Springs, continuing 
until 1895, and he did not give up his successful stock business until 1885. 
Since the latter date he has paid considerable attention to the farm. In poli- 
tics he has ever been a stanch Republican, and most acceptably served the 
township as assessor for three years. His connection with the Lutheran 
church has covered many years, in which he has held the positon of trustee 
and is known as one of its most liberal supporters. Not only is Mr. Charlton 
an intelligent and liberal-minded man, but is also> something of a traveler, 
having visited fourteen of the states in the Union. Fraternally he is connected 
with the Masonic order, in which he is highly esteemed. 

JACOB MUNCH. 

One of the most respected citizens and successful farmers of Vernon town- 
ship, Crawford county, Ohio, is Jacob Munch, who was born in Germany, on 
April 29, 1847, anc l ne was one °t a family of three children born to Nicholas 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 859* 

Munch and wife, who remained in Germany all their days. The former died 
at the age of sixty-eight years, the mother of our subject having died when 
her son was but two years old. 

Jacob Munch was well taught in the schools of his native land, and at the 
age of twenty-one, according to the laws of his country, he entered the army, 
serving faithfully through the Franco-Prussian war. In 1873, after the close 
of that war, Mr. Munch decided to emigrate to America, in the hope of bet- 
tering- his condition. His landing in the United States was in the harbor of 
New York, where he remained one week, coming then to Mansfield, Ohio. 
Although he was master of the trade of stone mason, he was without means, 
and it took some time for him to become accustomed to the unknown language 
and different manners and customs, but his honest face and willingness to 
work soon made him friends, and he secured employment in Mansfield after 
a short delav. About one year later Mr. Munch went to Crestline and worked 
at his trade and also assisted neighboring farmers in agricultural work. 

In 1877. by his industry and economy, Mr. Munch found himself able to 
rent a farm for himself. This was a tract of some sixty acres, in Jackson 
township, and here Mr. Munch and his estimable wife bent every energy to 
cultivate the land to its highest condition of producing capacity, and to lay 
aside means in order to become the owners of one of the fine farms in this fa- 
vored part of the state. Mr. Munch had been married in 1875 to< Miss Chris- 
tina Riber, who was a native of this township, and who was a daughter of John 
Riber, who had come hither at an earlv day from Germany and was a pioneer 
settler of the township. 

For nine years Mr. Munch cultivated the farm -in Jackson township, but 
in 1886 he became the owner of his present home farm, which consists of 
ninety-three acres, and here the family has since resided, the efforts of Mr. 
Munch having been directed to their welfare. Honest toil has met with its re- 
ward in the case of our subject. It was by no fortunate speculation that he 
attained his success, but by the application of unremitting industry and self- 
denial he has changed the condition of a poor German youth, in a strange 
country, to that of one of the most respected and prosperous land-owners of 
one of the best parts of the state in which he has made his home. 

Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Munch, the five survivors of the 
family being as follows: Henry; Mary, the wife of Edward Zimmerman, of 
Mansfield; John; Frederick William; and Tracy, while the one removed by 
death was named George. 

In politics Mr. Munch has become identified with the Democratic party 



86o CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and his religious connection is with the German Reformed church. He is one 
of the most industrious and practical farmers of this neighborhood., and his 
well cultivated land and excellent improvements show his excellence as an agri- 
culturist. 

JACOB BENDER. 

One of those business men whose probity is well known and whose career 
has thus far been distinguished for enterprise is Jacob Bender, one of the lead- 
ing agriculturists of Crawford county. A native son of the Buckeye state, his 
birth having occurred in Richland county, on the 8th of January, 1840. His 
parents were Jacob and Catherine (Hoffman) Bender, and they had eleven chil- 
dren, nine now living, namely : Jacob, the subject of this review; Henry, a resi- 
dent of Cranberry township, Crawford county; Charles, who resides near 
Knoxville, Iowa ; Christena, widow of Peter Stiving, of Richland county ; An- 
thony, of Vernon township, Crawford county ; William, of Auburn township, 
this county; Lizzie, wife of Cyrus Cross, also- a resident of Auburn townshp ; 
John, who makes his home in Vernon township ; and Philip, of Sandusky town- 
ship. 

The father of this family was burn near Heidelberg, Germany, on the 
5th of October, 1816, while the mother was born at the same place on the 13th 
of August, 1816, and there they attained their majority and were married, 
that event occurring in 1840. In the same year they bade farewell to their na- 
tive land and sailed for the United States, and after arriving in this country, 
they located in Richland county, Ohio, near Shelby, where Mr. Bender pur- 
chased forty acres of timber land. They took up their abode in a small cabin 
which had been built by a former owner, later "adding twenty acres to their or- 
iginal tract, and there they resided for a number of years, when they pur- 
chased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres four miles south of Shelby. 
There they made many substantial improvements, continuing to make their 
home there until 1862, when they sold that place and removed to Crawford 
county, Mr. Bender buying the farm of George Cummings, which contained 
about two hundred acres of land, located on the present site of old De Kalb, 
a part of the town having been built on a portion of the land. At one time he 
also owned three hundred acres of land in Iowa and two hundred acres in 
Michigan. On his Crawford county farm he spent his remaining days, passing 
away on the 26th of September, 1897, at the ripe old age of eighty years, elev- 
en months and twenty-five days. He was an ardent Democrat in political mat- 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 86 1 

ters, but was never an office seeker, and he became known as on of the most 
reliable, straightforward and progressive agriculturists of his locality. His 
wife died on the 15th of January, 1885, and both she and her husband were 
zealous members of the Lutheran church. 'While in Germany she was a mem- 
ber of the Reformed church, while he was a Catholic, but after coming to Amer- 
ica they both united with the Lutheran denomination and remained true to its 
teachings until their death. 

Jacob Bender, whose name introduces this review, enjoyed only the edu- 
cational privileges afforded by the old pioneer log school house of the neigh- 
borhood, with its puncheon floor and slab benches, and he remained under 
the parental roof until eighteen years of age. He then removed to Michigan, 
where he spent about three years engaged at work in a livery stable and saw- 
mill, but that work proved too heavy for one so young and at the close of that 
period, in 1861, he returned to Ohio. On his arrival in this state he was en- 
gaged by a Mr. Crim to cross the plains to California with a drove of horses, 
reaching the Golden state after a journey of three months and three days, 
although a part of the train did not arrive until ten days later. Mr. Bender 
remained in Sacramento, California, about two years, working in a sales stable 
and at other occupation. In 1863 he again came to Crawford county, where he 
was employed as a farm hand for a time, and later, when the building of the 
Mansfield, Cold Water & Michigan Railroad was begun, he was employed at 
making cross ti,es for the company and afterward working on the grading of the 
road. This work covered the greater part of two years, after which he pur- 
chased seventy-two acres of his present home place and settled down to the 
quiet pursuits of farm life. He has added to his original purchase until the 
homestead now contains eighty-six acres, and he also owns a tract of one 
hundred and sixty acres in Cranberry township, and a town residence in 
Tiro. 

The year 1865 witnessed the marriage of Mr. Bender and Miss Eliza- 
beth Molder, a native of the Empire state and a daughter of Jacob Molder, 
who came from Germany to Xew York, entering land in Niagara county. 
About 1837 he sold that place and came to Richland county, Ohio. Unto our 
our subject and wife have been born six children, as follows : Anthony, who 
makes his home in Sandusky township, Crawford county; Catherine, who is 
still at home; Mary, a resident of Tiffin, Ohio; Marion, of Auburn township, 
Crawford county; Nettie, who also resides in Tiffin; and Cory, deceased. Mr. 
Bender gives his political preference to the Democracy, but is liberal in his 
views, voting for the men whom he thinks best qualified for public office. The 



862 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

family are members of the Lutheran church, and in the community where they 
reside they enjoy the respect and esteem of a large circle of friends and ac- 
quaintances. 

WILLIAM S. BROWN. 

William S. Brown, who is now actively connected with the railway 
service as engineer of the Pittsburg. Fort Wayne & Chicago line, and makes 
his home in Crestline, was born in Crawford county, August 20, 1862. His 
father, Joseph Brown, was also a native of the same county, and was born 
July 7, 1834. The grandfather became one of the early settlers of this 
portion of the state, arriving in Crawford county with a rifle, which was all 
the property that he had in the world. His energy, resolute spirit and 
capable management, however, enabled him to secure a handsome competence. 
He occupied six hundred and forty acres of land, some of which he entered 
from the government, and at his death he still owned a valuable tract of one 
hundred and forty acres, having in the meantime sold the other portion of his 
property. Joseph Brown was reared to farm life and from his father he 
inherited a large and desirable tract of land. He lived upon this farm for 
fifty-seven years and was one of the best known agriculturists of the com- 
munity. He married a Miss Smith, who was born in the town of Frederick, 
Wayne county, Ohio, September 14, 1837, and pursued her education in one 
(if the log schoolhouses that were common at that day. In 1854 she came to 
Crestline with her father, who was a prominent business man of this city, 
connected with the lumber trade and with the clothing business. In his 
political views Joseph Brown was first a Whig, but in 1856 he voted for 
James Buchanan and afterward became a Republican. He died on the old 
homestead in 1896, and thus passed away one of the honored pioneer settlers 
of Crawford county. 

AYilliam S. Brown, whose name introduces this record, spent his boyhood 
days in his father's home, pursued his education in Crestline, and at the age 
of twenty-one years he entered upon his business career, following farming 
and also working in a sawmill for his father, devoting two years to the 
latter business. He then entered the railway service, being employed as a 
fireman on the Pennsylvania line in 1885, acting in that capacity for seven 
years, after which he was promoted to- engineer in 1892. Through fifteen 
years he has been in the employ of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago 
road, and during that time has had only one accident and that was of a 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 863 

very slight character, no one being injured. The car, however, broke down 
on account of being overloaded. Mr. Brown is devoted to his work and the 
responsible duties that devolve upon him, discharging them with careful 
faithfulness, allowing nothing to interfere with them. 

In 1887 occurred the marriage of William S. Brown and Miss Luella 
Walters, who was born in Richland county. Ohio, July 22, 1862, and is a 
daughter of George and Mary jane (Simpson) Walters. Her parents were 
born in Richland county, and there the father died, but the mother is still 
living. Mrs. Brown was educated in Crestline and by her marriage has 
become the mother of two children: Helen May and Ruth Lucile, both 
natives of Crestline, the former born January 17, 1889, the latter July 7, 
1891. Mr. Brown is a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity, the 
Maccabees and for nine years has been connected with the Brotherhood of 
Locomotive Firemen. His political support is given to the men and measures 
of the Republican party and in religious faith he and his wife are Methodists, 
holding membership in the church of that denomination in Crestline. 

CHARLES NESS. 

For twenty-seven years Charles Ness has been in the service of the 

Big Four Railroad Company, which he is now serving as engineer. He was 

born in 1834, and when only about a year old was brought to Crawford 

county by his parents, who located on a farm one mile west of Galion. The 

grandfather, Michael Ness, Sr., lived and died in York county, Pennsylvania, 

as did his wife. Their son, Michael Xess, Jr., was born and reared in York 

county, whence he came to Crawford count}-. He was a contractor and 

builder, and followed that occupation in Galion from 1835 until his death, 

which occurred December 19, 1900, when he had attained the ripe old age of 

seventy-six years. He erected most of the early business blocks, churches 

and factories of the city, together with many of the residences. He was 

an architect as well as contractor, and engaged in teaching drafting. In 

public affairs he took a deep and earnest interest, and was one of the charter 

members of the Lutheran church, contributing liberally to its support and 

doing all in his power to advance its work and upbuilding. He married 

Sarah Ruhl, a daughter of Michael Ruhl, whose father laid out the town of 

Galion, where Michael Ruhl was a pioneer merchant. Mrs. Ness is still 

living, at the advanced age of seventy-four years. In their family were 

the following children : Charles, whose name introduces this review ; 
49 



86 4 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

John, a teacher in the schools of Galion; Michael, who is also living in the 
same city ; William, a farmer of Leesville, who also has charge of a quarry ; 
Mrs. Ellen Overley, of Galion; Ida, wife of James Overley, a farmer and 
stock-raiser of Todd township, .Monroe county, Ohio; Emma, wife of William 
Gorley, of Galion; Mrs. Margaret Flick, deceased; and one who died in 
infancy. 

On the family homestead farm Charles Xess was reared, and during his 
active business career he has been identified with the railroad service. In 
1X74 he entered the employ of the Big Four Railroad Company, with which 
he has been identified for twenty-seven years. Promoted to the position of 
engineer, he has since acted in that capacity and is one of the most reliable 
representatives of the road, being ever watchful in discharging the responsible 
duties which devolve upon him. He is a member of the Brotherhood of 
Locomotive Engineers and has also had membership relations with the 
Knights of Pythias fraternity. Mr. Ne,ss was united in marriage to Miss 
Catherine Casey, a daughter of Nelson Casey, of Polk township, Crawford 
county, and they now have one daughter, Myrtle E., who is a graduate of 
the high school and is now a student in the university at Delaware, Ohio, 
where she is pursuing a special course in vocal and instrumental music. The 
family enjoy the warm regard of many friends and occupy a leading position 
in social circles. 

J. AGNEW, D. D. S. 

Although one of the younger representatives of the dental fraternity in 
Crestline, Dr. Agnew possesses the skill and ability which will win him 
success, and the ambition which prompts energetic and continued action. He 
was born in western Ontario, Canada, in May, 1872, and his parents are still 
residing in Wingham, Ontario. He is the eighth in a family of nine children, 
among whom are two dentists, two physicians, two sisters who are nurses in 
the Pennsylvania hospital, at Philadelphia, while the youngest brother is now 
studying medicine. Such a record probably has scarcely ever been paralleled, 
and the family is certainly doing its share toward the alleviation of human 
suffering. 

Dr. Agnew, whose name introduces this review, pursued his education 
in the public schools of his native county, and prepared for his professional 
career as a student in the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery, in which 
institution he was graduated on the completion of the regular course, with 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 865 

the class of 1899. He was located at Galion for some time, but in June. 
1900, came to Crestline, where he opened an office. Although hardly a year 
has passed since that time he has already secured a large clientage. He is 
thoroughly in touch with the most advanced and improved methods of the 
day, and the work which he does in the line of his profession has given 
excellent satisfaction. He is a young man of determined purpose, of resolute 
spirit and commendable ambition, and these qualities cannot fail to bring him 
success. 

DAVID KALB. 

One of the leading farmers and stock-raisers of Crawford county is 
David Kail), who resides in Chatfield township, where he owns and operates 
four hundred and eighty acres of valuable land. This constitutes one of the 
fine farms of this portion of the state. It is splendidly improved with sub- 
stantial and commodious buildings, having three houses upon it, in addition 
to the residence of our subject. The barns and outbuildings are large, furnish- 
ing ample shelter for grain and stock, and fine grades of horses, cattle and 
sheep are seen in the pastures, while the rich fields give promise of golden 
harvests. The owner is numbered among the most prosperous and enter- 
prising agriculturists of the county and well deserves his sucess. 

Mr. Kalb was born on the farm where he now lives, March 21, 1844. 
His father, William Kalb, was a native of Wittenberg, Germany, born in 
1800, and after arriving at years of maturity he was there married to Sevina 
Haynes. In the year 1832 they emigrated to America, making the voyage on 
a sailing vessel, which was sixty days between port and port. Mr. Kalb first 
located near Wooster, Ohio, where he purchased eighty acres of land, but 
after three years came to Crawford county, settling in Chatfield township. 
Here he bought one hundred and ten acres of wild land, of which only three 
acres had been cleared, the remainder being covered with a heavy growth 
of timber. A log house of one room was almost the only improvement on 
the place. Throughout the remainder of his life the father carried on farming 
here. He passed away at the age of ninety-one, his wife when eighty-nine 
years of age. They were both members of the Pietist church and were 
people of the highest respectability, honored as worthy pioneer settlers, who 
had aided in laying broad and deep the foundation for the present prosperity 
and progress of the county. He owned considerable real estate, including 
three hundred and sixty acres of land in Chatfield township. Unto Mr. and 



866 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mrs. Kalb were burn eight children, namely: Sylvania, deceased wife of 
Michael Lutz; G. William, a retired farmer of Chatfield township; John, 
Jacob, Catherine, Redema and Caroline, all of whom are now deceased; and 
David. 

The last named, born and reared on the old homestead, pursued his 
education in the common schools and when twenty-one years of age assumed 
the management of the home farm, which he has since cultivated. His 
practical experience in the fields of his youth well qualified him for the 
responsibility which he assumed, and as the years have passed he has in- 
creased his operations, becoming one of the most extensive farmers of the 
county. In connection with the raising of grain best adapted to this climate, 
he is extensively engaged in raising horses, cattle, sheep and hogs, and keeps 
on hand good grades of stock. In addition to his farm here he also owns 
six hundred and forty acres of land in Texas, near Fort Worth. 

In March, ]86q, occurred the marriage of Mr. Kalb and Miss Catherine 
Beigle, and unto them were born the following: Sarah, deceased; Emma, 
wife of General Wallymire, of Chatfield township; Lucy E., wife of George 
Quick, of Chatfield township; Clara, at home; William H., a schoolteacher 
in Chatfield township; John, David T. and Frederick, who are upon the farm; 
Lizzie, deceased ; and one that died in infancy. The mother of the above 
children was called to her final rest April 24, 1901, and many friends 
were left to mourn her loss. The family attend the Lutheran church, of 
which Mr. Kalb is an earnest member. In his political views he is a stalwart 
Democrat and has served as school director, while for twelve years he has 
filled the position of trustee of Chatfield township, his long retention in 
office being ample proof of his fidelity to duty. He is a man who is ever found 
faithful to all the obligations of life, who is honorable in his dealing, straight- 
forward in contract, and his many estimable qualities make his example well 
worthy of emulation. 

JOHN JACOB DURR. 

For four score years Mr. Durr has traveled life's journey and his has been 
an upright, useful and honorable career, which has made him a venerable and 
respected gentleman. In pioneer days he came to Crawford county, and for 
two-thirds of a century has been a witness of its development and progress, 
aiding, as he found opportunity, in the work of growth and improvements, 
and feeling a just pride in what has been accomplished here. 



CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. *<$7 

Mr. Durr is a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, born October 31, 1821, 
his parents being Henry and Elizabeth (Crumb) Durr, who had five children, 
namely: Henry and Mary, now deceased; John J.; Barbara, who has also 
passed away; and Adam, who is living in Mercer county, Ohio. After the 
death of his first wife the father married Mary Coile, and their children 
were: Martin, who is deceased; and David, who makes his home in Chat- 
field township. The father was a farmer and baker, and conducted a tavern 
in the old country, where he remained until 1832. when with his family he 
came to America, crossing the Atlantic in a sailing vessel, which reached 
Baltimore harbor after a voyage of sixty-five days. From that place the 
family proceeded by team to Columbiana county, Ohio, and in the winter of 
1832 came on sleds, drawn by oxen, to Crawford county, locating in Chat- 
field township. Here the father purchased one hundred and twenty acres 
of government land, where Thomas Regula now lives, and erected a double 
log cabin. The land was heavily timbered, and the entire region was wild 
and primitive, the family, therefore, experiencing the hardships of pioneer 
life. Henry Durr continued to engage in farming there until his life's 
labors were ended in death, when he was seventy-five years of age. 

Mr. Durr of this review was a youth of eleven years, when, with his 
father he came to Chatfield township. So wild and unbroken was the 
trackless forest that he was several times lost in the green woods while 
hunting the oxen and cattle in his boyhood. He aided in the arduous task 
of developing the raw land, clearing it of the timber and preparing it for the 
plow. He lived with his father until his marriage, when he established a 
home of his own, removing to his present farm, whereon he has resided for 
fifty-seven years. His first home was a log cabin, and the young couple began 
their domestic fife in true pioneer style, but as the years passed all the 
comforts and conveniences known to the older east were introduced and the 
farm was thus transformed into a very valuable property. He now owns one 
hundred and thirty-eight acres, of which he cleared from the woods one 
hundred and twenty acres. He has carried on general farming and stock- 
raising, and has also successfully practiced veterinary surgery. His labors 
have been crowned with an enviable degree of success and he ha.s accumulated 
a comfortable competence for the evening of life. 

In 1844 Mr. Durr was married to Miss Elizabeth Jacoby, and they became 
the parents of the following children: Daniel and Benjamin, now deceased; 
Leo, the wife of the Rev. Philip Kessler ; Sarah, who married Fred Crother, 
of Liberty township ; Mary, who resides in Flolmes township ; and Lena. On 



868 CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the 1 8th of June, 1872, Mr. Durr was united in marriage to Hannah Solge. 
His present wife bore the maiden name of Hannah Herman, and they were 
joined in wedlock in September, 1890. Their home is a large brick resi- 
dence, which was erected by Mr. Durr in 1858, being one of the many ex- 
cellent improvements which he has placed upon his farm. He has long been 
a member of the Methodist church, and when he first resided in the county 
religious services were held in his father's cabin. He votes with the Repub- 
lican party, and has always favored every movement and measure tending to 
promote the general welfare. 



rd 11 g 




LbJL20 



^ -. 










• l •» C> 



4' 



o • L * * o 







^ 




^q* 



0' ^ -..,.- ^ o 











«> 







C,~ vP 



v# 



0' 



fe- %. y ♦' 

4> ^ • 








^°^ 







v\ 













.^ - o » e "<$> 

1^ • _r-<^ <■ *f> 



O V 



-V- 



•^-^ 



^ ^. 



^ ..... 



£- 



















A' v^^ 







v y G o - c „ <& 
• « • °* > 









A 



^ ^ 



C> 



^ 



^o« 



o V 



i, 







> .<&> . » o *^> v . 1 1 « "^> A o « . *^> 



O 






»°^ 






■a? ^ 









°V °"° a *v, •«■• -v 







